Why Owners Should Consider GPS Tracking for Protecting Their Pets

In today's society, 62% of U.S. households have pets. In most cases, those pets are considered a loved member of the family and often treated like children.

It is no wonder that pet owners are doing what they can to take their pets safety more seriously.

With pets being taken and mistreated only to be left astray, owners are looking for more reliable ways to protect their pets.

Animal Statistics

Of the 62% of household pets in the U.S. 78 million are dogs, while 86 million are cats. Just think, there are more than 70 million stray cats roaming free on the streets.

When it comes to companion animals (pets) that are lost each year:

    5 - 7 million companion animals are sheltered annually
    3 - 4 million companion animals euthanized annually (60% dogs/ 70% cats)
    15 - 20% of companion animals are returned to their owners (had tattoo's, id's, or microchip)

Benefits to Using a GPS Tracker as Pet Locator

Pet owners are learning there are benefits to using a GPS tracker as a pet locator:

    Prevent pets from becoming lost or stolen
    Prevent shelter fees by tracking and locating your own pet
    Geofence protection can alert you the moment your pet is out of their designated area
    Software is user-friendly

Reasons Pets Become Lost

Understanding how and why pets become lost is the key to prevention.

The following is a list of the top four reasons pets become lost:

    Opportunity: Door left open, gate left open
    Curiosity: Digging under a fence, darting past an owner
    Panic: Loud noises, thunder, lightening
    Theft

Making sure you close the door or gate behind you can help to prevent a pet from wandering off.

If you see where they have been digging under a fence, take precautions to fill the hole and provide a barrier preventing your pet from being able to reach the other side.

Try creating as much white noise as possible for your pet. This may help with desensitization.

When your pet experiences loud noises give them a massage to help them to relax.

Doing this while playing a CD of loud noises at increasing volume over a period of days will help your pet to better adapt to the loud noises in the future.

To prevent theft, some pet owners have opted for the chip. Others are touting the praises of GPS tracking using locator collars, while others aren't quite as convinced.

Past Complaints About Using GPS Devices for Companion Animals

Pet tracking using GPS tracking devices is a simple and efficient way to keep tabs of your furry friends. Some complaints owners have expressed over using GPS technology to track their pets are:

    Device battery doesn't last long enough
    Digital maps are complicated to use
    Range isn't far enough

Though this may have been the case years ago, technology has greatly improved over just the last few months.

Improvements to battery life, maps, and data range have made pet locator collars using GPS technology that much more attractive for keeping the family pet safe and sound.

Being able to establish such GPS alerts as geofencing provides owners with the ability to establish a geographic boundary for their pet.

If for any reason their pet goes outside of their predetermined geofence, the owner will be sent an alert by email and/or text.

This will help to improve the chances of recovering their pet before they are picked up and taken to a nearby shelter, thus saving owners from paying unnecessary fees.

Statistical data provided by ASPCA.

L.A. Turner is the GPS Press Contact for GPSTrackit dot com. With a passion for news, safety, and all things green she is bringing the internet news about GPS tracking, vehicle location, asset monitoring and protection and more.
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