World Emoji Day - Add Flair to Pet Profiles with Custom Icons | Gingr

Take a look at the calendar emoji on your phone: 📅

Did you know that the date on that particular emoji is supposed to be July 17?  That’s no accident—it’s the day Apple premiered iCal back in 2002, and the very reason World Emoji Day exists today! What started as a quirky tribute to a calendar app has turned into a full-blown celebration of those tiny icons we love to overuse and assign new meaning to.

Why Emojis Speak Volumes 🐶💬

Emojis let us show our personality, communicate quickly, and add some flair as we communicate. They’ve become a universal language—just ask any pet parent who’s ever sent a heart-eyes emoji after a Report Card update! In the pet-care world, visual cues are key. When time is tight and the lobby’s packed, clear,  simple communication can help differentiate between confusion and clarity.

At Gingr, we’re big fans of anything that helps you express yourself, and we know your pet profiles deserve just as much personality. Pet-business owners using our software are big fans of our animal icon feature for this reason—and more. It’s not just fun, it’s also a smart way to streamline care, simplify operations, and make important information instantly recognizable at a glance. 

How to Add Custom Icons in Gingr

Custom icons can appear anywhere in Gingr your staff interacts with pet profiles: the Dashboard, Quick Check-In panel, Search Results, Animal Profile pages—you name it. Here’s how to add your own:

1. Navigate to Admin > Animals > Animal Icons.
2. Scroll down and click + Add.
3. Select an icon by typing a keyword (think: paw, heart, carrot, plane).
4. (Optional) Assign it to an icon group.
5. Give your icon a name in the Title field.
6. Choose a color using the color picker.
7. Click Save. Voilà!

Once you create your custom icons, you can then assign them to specific pets in your care. 

Make It Move: How to Animate Icons

Want an icon to spin in place for extra emphasis? Maybe you’ve got a “flight risk” pup who makes Houdini look lazy. Here’s how to animate that icon:

1. Go to Admin > Animals > Animal Icons.
2. Click the ✏️ Pencil next to the icon you want to animate.
3. In the Icon field, note the technical name (e.g., fa fa-fighter-jet).
4. Add the animation class fa-spin—and boom, you’ve got movement.

Animated icons are especially handy for pop-up alerts or pets with special care needs. 

Emoji Cheat Sheet for Pet Icons

The beauty of emojis is that we can choose to adapt their meaning based on our own systems, languages, norms, slang, and communication methods. For instance, this emoji — 🤧 — might indicate "allergies" or "sickness" to the majority of the population, while others may use it to express nonchalance, disagreement or an easier way of saying "that's none of my business."

Within Gingr, you can assign icons to represent anything important to your business and the pets in your care. 

Here are a few of our favorite emoji-inspired icons available in your dashboard and what they could represent:

Why It Matters

Personalized pet profiles aren’t just cute, they’re critical. Whether it’s a visual cue for allergies, behavior, or just a sweet reminder that Sparky loves belly rubs, icons help staff deliver better, more consistent care.

And for busy pet-care pros like you, custom icons mean less guessing, fewer mistakes, and a smoother day all around.

So go ahead—celebrate World Emoji Day by giving your pet profiles a glow-up. Sprinkle some personality (and practicality) into your dashboards. Your staff will thank you, and your furry clients? Well, they’ll just keep being adorable.

Need help setting it up? Our team is here for you. Because at Gingr, we’re made by pet lovers, for pet lovers. Ready to fetch more features for awesome results? Book a demo today!