Pet Gadgets Bring Technology to the Dogs

Aug. 23, 2007 — -- Technology has gone to the dogs and cats are getting in on it, too.

Several companies are marketing smart products for pets, including talking pet collars and Global Positioning Systems. Now, pets need not be lost forever if they stray from familiar territory.

Discover some of the gadgets geared to make you and your pet's lives easier:

This is a little device that hangs off your dog's collar. You can record a message for anyone who finds your dog. This especially could be helpful for someone who lives in a rural area and lets their dogs roam freely.

Well-meaning folks will often try to rescue missing pets and if you want to give special instructions to someone trying to return your dog, it's a nice way to get specific and maybe thank the dog rescuer. Or a little reassuring message could let them know that your animal is a roamer who has good car/street sense and can find its way back home just fine.

This is a peace of mind gadget for nighttime dog walkers. This collar has lights that illuminate in the dark so you can see your dog if you go for a walk at night. They say you can see the collar from half a mile away.

Some neighborhood dogs do not have tags on their collars. Their owners no doubt have tags for these dogs, but the incessant jingling of the dog license and ID tags is enough to make anyone insane. So, owners take the tags off.

But if the dog gets out, it could be lost forever. The solution is simple: use a dog tag silencer. It is a little neoprene pouch that holds the tags together and prevents them from jingling. Somebody finds your dog, opens the pouch and sees where your dog lives.

The Global Pet Finder collar is GPS enabled, but it is smaller and works with a different premise: If you have an escape-artist dog who always gets out of the yard, this is an everyday tool to help you find it. You buy the collar for about $300 and then pay a $20 monthly fee to have Web and cell phone tracking access to your dog's location.

If it gets lost, you can enter your information online and the site tells you exactly where the dog is. Also, you can set up alerts to inform you when the dogs run away from home. You initially use the GPS device to set up a perimeter around the house. If the dog strays from the property, you get a text message on your phone alerting you of the escape. Next year the company is coming out with a new version that's 50 percent smaller and is more durable.