Pets are part of the family, not just some animal. They are there to greet us when we come home with wagging tail. But when we open that door and there is no furry friend, it is easy to start panicking. But if you have a pet GPS, you will already that they are not in the house.
There are some different types of GPS available for pets but they all have one thing in common. There will be a transmitter that is attached to the pet, usually on a collar. These transmitters are battery operated and, in many models, it will send you a message when they need to be replaced. These transmitters will let you know the location of your pet when it is outside a predetermined safe area or when you prompt it for the location.
How the signal is transmitted varies from model to model. Some models use a cell phone modem to send the signals via satellite. Others use radio frequencies. There is one that uses mobile phone triangulation, rather than GPS.
However, most often, the tracking devices do use GPS. They differ though, in what other special features they have. Many will enable you to define multiple safe areas where your pet is allowed. They act like an invisible fence so that, as soon as your pet leaves the safe areas, the tracker will notify you and will continue to send you updates of the location of your pet. These updates can be sent via phone, email, text or instant messaging or fax.
There is not yet agreement over how well GPS works in the tracking of pets. Many say that, if your pet is stolen, the thief will just take off the collar right away so you will have no useful information. However, if it is not stolen, and has run away or gotten lost, this technology can help to get your pet back quickly and safely.
There is also some concern about the life of the batteries being too short. However, many units will tell you when they are running low. And, if they wear out while your pet is still lost, you will at least know the direction in which it was heading. There are models that can give you a history of where your pet has been for up to a week.
Some pet owners believe that the pet chip is a better option. These are sometimes referred to as GPS chips but this is incorrect. They do not use GPS technology and must be scanned to get a reading. Chips are useful for lost pets that are brought into an animal shelter or vet, but only if they are read.
Is a pet GPS a smart purchase for you and your furry friend? That is partly dependent on your pet. But if they have a tendency to run off, or if there is concern that it could be inadvertently let out, for example, this technology may be exactly what you need to get your pet back safely.
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