GPS Systems for Pets

[rtimgray]

I tried searching on this topic, but couldn't find anything about it.

My wife's dog went missing this weekend and she was quite distraught. As luck would have it, we found her the next day, stuck inside of a plot of sweet corn that was surrounded by 8 strands of electric fencing (intended to keep deer out). Other than hungry and thirsty, she was fine.

This led us to discussing if there were GPS trackers that dogs could wear, and sure enough, there are. The only problem is, there seems to be hundreds of them.

I am doing my own research and reviewing different options, but was curious if anyone on the board can offer any first hand experience with a particular brand and style. One thing I've seen repeated is that (I think) all of them require some type of subscription program, and if the company goes under, then the device becomes useless.

So again, just curious if anyone has recommendations or experiences with such items.

And if I have missed a thread that addressed this, feel free to point me in that direction as well.

Thanks for the help.

Good luck and take care.

 

[nybirdman]

We run Garmin Astro's on our hunting dogs(beagles and pointers).The work well but be prepared to spend $500.No subscription cost.We had a few problems with antennas breaking but they were fixed under warranty
All the coyote hunters in our area run the same systems on their far running hounds.
We deal with Lion Country Supply,good out fit;you may want to call them.

 

[CountryB]

I don't have one of these systems, but when I was researching it, it seems that a common problem was that the GPS signal didn't work well when there was not a direct line-of-sight to satellite. So it didn't work in the woods (under heavy tree canopy).

Do you know if this is still a problem?

 

[tow653]

We use a Tractive,subscription based,happy with it so far,on a bloodhound who likes to roam.

 

[Paddy]

rtimgray,

We have a plan with Whistle. It work very good. We live at then of a 1 mi dead end with very few people near by. So we let our Jack Russel run to his hearts content. He would just come back when he wanted to. Because he can be far afield, we wanted to be able to get in the car and go get him.

There is an app for your smart phone/ipad that has the dock station marked, your pets location and you as a blue dot. We use it every day. I think it was $75 to buy it and $7 a month

 

[jymbee]

Take a look at the Marco Polo product. Does not use GPS, no subscription or data involved. We use it for our drones and it works well.

 

[CCWKen]

Take a look at the Marco Polo product. Does not use GPS, no subscription or data involved. We use it for our drones and it works well.

What's the approximate separation range of the tag/finder? I can't imagine it being very far for a low power transmitter. Perhaps a 1/4 mile? The "safe zone" can be no larger than a 260' radius.

 

[jymbee]

What's the approximate separation range of the tag/finder? I can't imagine it being very far for a low power transmitter. Perhaps a 1/4 mile? The "safe zone" can be no larger than a 260' radius.

Not sure of the actual range limit. We've never had to use it (fortunately) in a real-live drone fly-away situation but did do some testing by having someone "hide" the little transmitter about a thousand feet away in the woods. The person using the finder had no idea where it was but was able to follow the signal indicator which led them right to it in some nearby woods.

I think a GPS based device would have a lot of advantages given it wouldn't matter where it was as long as it was able to communicate w/ the service. Downside of course is cost. But around here cell signals are often week to non-existent so this Marco Polo was the best option for our situation.

 

[aeblank]

I looked at whistle, but ended up pre-ordering a couple from Nuzzle.
They're due out in October or November, IIRC.
Anyway, it's a GPS/cellular tracker, so it needs signal (AT&T). In that regard, it is similar to Whistle.
The up side is that there's NO MONTHLY FEE. As such, the device costs more (it's not subsidized at all), but it pays for itself within the first year.
There's an app, etc. Battery is supposed to last 5-7 days or something. Comes with a spare battery and a home base.

Our thought is that while the AT&T service won't be perfect (I suppose the GPS may not be either), it's bound to give a *direction* or a *blip* with a location. It gives us a place to look.

Our Pekineses disappeared FOR A WEEK and a neighbor a few miles away found her on their deck. It got down to almost freezing at night, and there was still snow on the ground (but not everywhere, to track). We were surprised to get her back.

Home - Nuzzle - Your GPS Pet Tracker

 

[Travelover]

I had a Garmin GTU10 for about 4 years. It worked quite well and was only $50 a year. Unfortunately it worked on 2G and they have discontinued supporting it. Had to be recharged daily.