Tagg Pet Tracker: Another ruffolution

by | Monday | August 15, 2011 | 14 comments

I’ve spent the last two weeks feverishly snapping up shoes, backpacks and pencils trying to get my kids ready for school. I forgot how much thought your average six year old needs to put into deciding what kind of lunchbox she wants for the year. That is pressure, man.

In the meantime, since I’m in a consumer state of mind, I decided this was the perfect week to do some Back to School reviews and previews of stuff your star pet might be interested in this autumn. So welcome to Back to School week! I’m starting off with a snazzy device for the technophiles- it’s super duper cool.

Back to School Week Monday: The Tagg Pet Tracker

My neighbors are sort of your archetypal ditzy dog owners. They have two big goofy labs, a pool guy who never pulls the gate shut all the way, and a severe case of procrastination when it comes to updating their ID tag information.

The first time their dogs got out, I helped them canvass the neighborhood. They eventually found them about 8 houses away, hanging out in a neighbor’s garage. The second time they got out, they made it even further- about 2 miles in a 2 hour period. A good samaritan put up a sign saying “2 Beautiful Labs Found!”

I bought them ID tags after that. I don’t know if they ever got around to updating their microchips.

Point being, you want multiple layers of safety when you’re trying to keep your pet from getting lost. Obviously an ID tag is simple and nice, assuming you have someone who actually finds your dog, hangs onto them, then calls you. A microchip eliminates the problem of a collar coming off, but even more chips have to fall into place for your pet to be reunited with you: they have to end up in a place with a scanner, the scanner has to locate the chip, your information has to be up to date. It’s far from perfect and not particularly efficient.

Wouldn’t it be amazing- just awesome- to have a GPS tracker on your dog? One that worked instantaneously to ping which direction your dog took off in, so you didn’t have to guess and hope you get to them before they scoot across that busy intersection?

It happened. They’ll be available to buy next month. And I am really excited about it: The Tagg Pet Tracker.

Here’s some snippets from today’s big announcement:

The Tagg pet tracking system uses advanced GPS technology to enable pet owners to know where their pets are and be notified if they wander off. Tagg provides peace of mind for any pet parent by providing them access to their pet’s whereabouts via a mobile phone, mobile device or computer.

Tagg—The Pet Tracker is a purpose-built solution that uses a sophisticated combination of GPS and wireless technology to monitor a pet’s location and quickly notify the owner via email and/or text if the pet leaves its Tagg zone, the area where it spends most of its time—typically the home, yard and adjacent areas.

The Tagg tracker is designed for dogs and cats over 10 lbs. and is a small, lightweight and durable device that attaches securely to an existing collar. Built to withstand all the running, digging and jumping of a pet’s busy day, the tracker is meant to be worn at all times, even while swimming. The long-lasting battery can last up to 30 days, but actual battery life will vary based on usage patterns. Convenient features have been built into the compact, stylish and comfortable tracker, including battery recharge notifications and a trip button, which allows pet and owner to take walks, car rides or travel without sending an alert.

For more information about Tagg—The Pet Tracker, visit www.tagg.com or follow the brand on Twitter @TaggTracker and Facebook at www.facebook.com/TaggThePetTracker.

I’ve gotten some sneak peeks at this product while it’s been in development, and it is fantastic. I know there are some other devices on the market, big ugly black boxes that look like shock collars, but the Tagg blows them out of the water in terms of its battery life, usability, and looks. I’m really excited about the possibilities this offers for pet owners and I can’t wait to try one out!

No hiding this on your teenagers, ok?

Disclosure: This product is made by a subsidiary of the company my husband also works for, but neither he nor I were part of the development. I’m not being paid to endorse or write about it- I just really believe in the product!

Filed: Daily Life, Lifestyle, Pet Gear, Reviews Tagged: ,
  • wikith

    We’re looking to move from an apartment to a place with a yard and leave the dogs with some yard access while we work. This blows my mind, I want it! Any idea what the price will be, though?

  • Tonya

    That looks pretty awesome!

  • Beccity

    This looks really neat!! At first I was like, “Thirty day battery life? that’s lame!” But rechargeable, with a low-battery email/text? Just needs to be a bit smaller for my cats. They’ve never run away, but it only takes once…

  • Lisa W

    This looks awesome!!! Especially with Oscar’s bred-in tendency to wander when given the slightest opportunity….

  • Lucy

    Oh I like this! Would help me find my one dog who likes to escape to freedom once in a while and go for a full blown run.

  • http://lifeofthechefswife.blogspot.com Tabitha @ Life of the Chefs Wide

    Such a great idea, but as mentioned above, I wonder what the price will be. perhaps this is a good alternative if people can not afford a microchip. I know there is nothing better then the chip, however, if this is reasonable then it may be an option. Would also be great for people wanting to study the lives of street animals.
    I do hope it comes a bit small though.. even small dogs and cats should wear one.
    And I would hide it on a teenager in a heartbeat! Hell I would even staple it to their forehead if I could. Save a a lot of late nights with AWOL kids.

  • TaxiLab

    It’s $199.99 for the complete kit and one year of servie. Wonder what service costs after the inital year?

  • Heather

    seems like a waste of money. microchipping is now mandatory for all cats/dogs in Australia. it costs $45. Australia adopted the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) microchip protocol, which means if my cat ended up in England, their chip would still be readable. all pounds, vet clinics and quite a few rescues in Australia have chip scanners and all scanners will read all types of chip.

    the problem in the US is that the chip manufacturers are still using proprietory technology for the chips and scanners. if all the US manufacturers adopted the ISO standard protocol the likelihood of a microchipped animal being returned to it’s owner if found would be almost %100.

    • http://www.pawcurious.com Dr. V

      Actually, that is not true. We have adopted ISO and it’s been the standard for several years now. Most shelters have universal scanners.

      • Heather

        ah, forgive me. I can only go by what I read and obviously I was reading outdated info.

        I still think the GPS thing is a bit of a waste of money.

  • http://dogproducts.org/ Hanna at Dog Products

    Hi Jessica,

    It looks like this Tagg product is exactly what I need for my most recently adopted little Shih Tzu boy named Yumbo.

    Yumbo is very sweet little guy who happily prances around the house wagging his bushy tail so avidly that I fear it would detach from his rear. On walks, however, Yumbo becomes a four-legged Houdini as he’s even managed to squirm out of a choke collar. I’ve solved that by putting on a harness but ….

    …… but then there is the issue of the front door opening and Yumbo making a dash for it before anyone binks.

    To make a long story short, I’m looking forward to the Tagg tracker and I thank you for introducing it here.

    By the way, I love your blog and I visit it frequently. I have also incorporated your link within my DogProducts.org site as a valuable resource for my visitors. Would you be willing to return the favor by placing my link right here on your blog?

    Hanna

  • Andy

    I just called this company and I found that the kit plus one year service is $200. I couldn’t find the cost of the service after the first year anywhere on the website. The person I spoke with at “tagg” didn’t know either. She had to put me on hold for a couple minutes to find it on their site. It is hidden in a small area which it states the 1 year plan renews at $59.95 per year. I also asked why the pink and blue cost $10 more. Her reply was “I don’t know” and “maybe because they add color to it.” Unfortunately this is not a good answer. It seems clear this company will gouge you for the same product because the color may be in greater demand, and hide information such as the next years’ prices for the service. Maybe they are not really expecting anyone to renew and they are just selling a novelty product for $200, and they are done with you (if you renew, then that’s a bonus for them). A company has every right to capitalize on their goods and services, but, if this is their primary goal, do you think they really care if your pet is lost? Is the product and service any good? I don’t know. This sounds like a product that will collect dust (after a couple months of use) in my closet next to my remote controlled fart machine.

  • Croberts

    Anything like this for cats?

  • Dennertime

    This sounds like something you could also use for any human who might be at risk of getting lost——toddlers, elderly folks with dementia, etc. I’m thinking about getting one for my dad, if it can be worn as a watch.