In an earlier post, I reviewed PetMD Finder, an iPhone application that lists the nearest veterinarians, daycare centers, dog parks, dog sitters, dog walkers, groomers, and pet-friendly hotels (or you can provide a zip code for the location you’re interested in). Pretty ambitious, I thought, but that was before I dug into petcentric places, a Purina iPhone app which tells you about all that plus animal shelters, dog-friendly beaches, amusement parks and campgrounds, and dog-oriented events.

Now that’s ambitious. As yet, the app hasn’t grown into its paws — its listings are incomplete, and it’s a bit clunky to navigate — but it has promise. And, heck, it’s free.

Here are some of the features I like. Dog parks are listed in order of geographical closeness, the opportunity is offered for users to post reviews (and some are), and the list of pet stores includes more than just the superstores (the hotel list, however, is pretty basic).

Features I wish it had? It’s nice to be given a map of a location, but take the next step and allow me to get written driving directions to it. I’d like to have the zip code of the location I’m interested in survive from one search to the next, so that once I’ve found out about dog-friendly hotels in the 43050 zip code, I don’t have to type the zip code in again to find out about pet services, dog parks, etc. I’d also like to see a category for dog-friendly restaurants.

Things I don’t much care about? The fluff behind the “Pet Info” and “Gallery” buttons, including info about Purina products, pictures of a bunch of dogs and cats, and “pet tips and facts.”