Dog Tracking

When April moved to her new town house in the Chicago-land area she couldn’t help but to feel excited and worried both at the same time. She was excited because the new town house had twice the space of her old dingy apartment, but on the other hand she was worried because her dog Sinatra was getting older and the thought of him getting lost in the new unfamiliar area was frightening. Sinatra was a yorkshire terrier who was 12 years old and had some slight vision problems. Therefore, April decided she was going to take additional measures to make sure nothing happened to Sinatra. She started with conventional methods such as updating his tags with the new phone number and address as well as  purchased an invisible fence, which would send a small electric shock to the dog if he left the front and back yard area. However, she also heard about a more unconventional method known as GPS tracking. Although she was familiar of the concept of GPS tracking, seeing GPS tracking systems being used on detective and crime televisions shows, applying GPS tracking to pet-recovery or dog tracking was a whole new interesting concept.

Real-Time GPS Tracking

How real-time GPS tracking works is a combination of satellite and cellular technology. The GPS tracking system records position via satellite triangulation and information such as date, location, time, speed, etc. are all recorded precisely. The information is then stored upon the GPS tracking system and is transmitted over a wireless/cellular network where the user can access it from a remote location via computer.

GPS Tracking and Dog Collars

How GPS tracking technology works with dog tracking applications is simple. The GPS tracking receiver is built into a dog’s collar. The position is then recorded by the GPS tracking system and can be accessed over the Internet if the dog ever becomes lost. However, the dog collar must be charged consistently since the battery is very small. Since the GPS tracking dog collar needs to be small and compact, so it is not cumbersome for the dog, battery life can be an issue.

GPS Tracking for Dogs a Real Solution?

Initially very excited about the concept of real-time tracking technology potentially saving her dog if he ever got lost, April became a little concerned after learning the cost of the technology. Although the collar was only around $199.00, which was expensive but not impossible, the monthly service fees and 12-month service agreement were the biggest concern. With a monthly service fee of roughly $20, April realized she would probably have to cancel her gym membership in order to pay for the monthly service of the real-time GPS tracker. Also, if she ever canceled the service early there was a hefty termination fee. Then of course the other concern about the GPS tracking system was the battery life. Recharging the battery almost everyday like a cellular phone seemed very inconvenient. The questions she began to ask herself were:

• What if she forgot to charge the GPS tracking system and Sinatra was stolen or lost?
• Was adding $20 to her monthly bills and the responsibility of charging the GPS tracking system nightly really worth it?
• Since the GPS tracking system’s battery life was so poor if Sinatra ever became lost the window to find him may be very small. Could that be a problem?
• If the dog was ever lost in an area without cell phone coverage the GPS tracking system wouldn’t be able to transmit the position of the dog. Could that be a problem?

After careful thought about her finances and the potential shortcomings of GPS tracking technology with dog collars, April decided that the GPS tracking dog collar was probably not the solution for her. She still believed that GPS tracking technology was great and could be very useful and advantageous for fleet monitoring and things of that nature, but GPS tracking her dog was simply not cost-effective, or most importnatly, full-proof.