Today in TechCES 2012: Tagg Pet Tracker is a high-tech way to help your pets find their way home
As a life-long dog owner, I've had a few scares with lost pets. No matter how careful you are, sometimes a pet will slip out an open door or manage to get out of a fence. If your pet gets out now, you might find yourself on foot looking for your furry friend, calling local vets and shelters, or posting "Lost" signs around the neighborhood — all the while worrying about where your pet has gotten to and whether they're okay. Fortunately, technology is here to make this a less stressful process: at CES we had a chance to look at Tagg's Pet Tracker, a small device that attaches to your pet's collar and lets you easily find them by GPS.
With Tagg, if your pet gets out of your home, you're automatically sent an email or text message informing you. (Cellular service, which allows the device to send text messages and emails wherever your pet is, is provided by Verizon.) Then you can find your pet's exact map location from your computer or smartphone. If you're using Tagg's app (available for iPhone and Android), it will even provide you driving directions to your pet's current location. To work, of course, your pet has to wear Tagg all the time — even when swimming — so it's designed to be light and durable. (I was a bit worried that it could catch on things, but Tagg has assured me that's not an issue.) The battery on the Tagg lasts up to 30 days and it will send you an email or text message when it's running low, so you can charge it.
You can buy Tagg online now and you should see them in retail stores early this year. A single Tagg unit costs $99.95 — but if you have multiple pets, additional units can be purchased for $89.95 — and includes a month's service. After the first month, there's a monthly fee of $7.95 (and $0.95 for each additional pet).
This article originally appeared on Tecca
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