Do you know where your dog is right now?
If you have one of the latest pet tracking devices, the answer is right at your fingertips. Pet trackers can provide you with the ability to view your pet’s location on your smartphone, or send alerts notifying you that your pet has, for example, hopped a fence and gone wandering through the neighbourhood.
Keeping tabs on your pet can be important for their safety (not to mention your own peace of mind). Pet tracking devices help you monitor your pet’s location and can work to reunite you with your bestie if you ever get separated.
Some are even capable of storing important data about your pet, such as their need for certain medications or illnesses and allergies.
Here are some options for making sure your pet stays safe, secure, and easy to ID.
Microchipping cats and dogs is becoming a common step in pet adoption. In some places it’s even required (for example, if you are bringing your pet to an EU country).
When a pet is microchipped, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip the size of a grain of rice is implanted via a painless injection under their skin. (RFID is the same tech used in debit cards).
If your pet is lost or goes missing, the chip can be read by a scanner which will then display stored data such as the pet parent’s name and contact information. Most vet offices, shelters, and humane societies will have these chip readers on hand to help reunite lost pets with their families.
RFID chips are permanent and don’t require a battery. There are no monitoring fees, only the initial cost of between $30 and $75, depending on the animal. The process is simple and usually takes under ten minutes at the vet’s office or clinic. It’s just important to keep the contact info on the chip up-to-date if you move, change pet sitters etc.
Using the same Bluetooth technology that connects your phone to your wireless earbuds, this type of tracking device can help pet parents in tracking down an MIA animal.
Where RFID chips are read-only devices, Bluetooth trackers can transmit data, sending information to your phone about where your pet is if they are in the vicinity of another Bluetooth-enabled device.
These devices range from $25 to $50 (some require the separate purchase of a holder to attach the tag to your pet’s collar) and typically don’t require any subscription service fees.
Finally, GPS trackers use satellite data to monitor your pet and are capable of providing real-time data about their location. Like Bluetooth tracking devices, they can be linked to your phone and used via an app.
As the most advanced and accurate type of tracking device, GPS trackers are also the most expensive, costing between $30 and $200, plus additional subscription fees.
Even with all the technologically advanced ways to ID and track your BFF, pet parents should always use a traditional pet tag and collar for simple identification of their pet.
While so many of us have smartphones and the litany of apps that come with them, there’s always the chance that a person who comes across your lost pet will find it easiest to pick up the phone and call you.
Having an ID tag with your pet’s name, address, and your phone number engraved on it is an affordable way to keep track of them.
These tags are of course waterproof, snowproof, and highly durable. They typically cost between $5 and $15, but be sure to have them updated if you move or if your phone number changes.
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