I Built an AI That Matches Lonely People with Therapy Pets — Here's What I Learned

Ever had a bad week and thought, "I just need to hug a dog right now"? You're not alone. Science agrees. And I built something about it. This post is about MyPetTherapist — an AI-powered platform that matches people with certified therapy animals — and all the weird technical decisions I made along the way. The Problem Worth Solving Therapy animals work. Studies show pet therapy reduces cortisol by up to 37%, lowers blood pressure, and reduces anxiety faster than most medications. But most people have no idea: Which animal type actually fits their emotional need Whether their living situation (apartment, allergy-prone, busy schedule) is compatible How to find certified therapy animals vs. just... someone's emotional support peacock Enter: AI. The Stack (The Honest Version) I'm going to be real — the first version was a mess. # Version 1: The Embarrassing Version def match_pet(user_input): if "sad" in user_input: return "dog" if "stressed" in user_input: return "cat" return "fish" # the