I spend a lot of my time on my family’s 20 acre horse farm and while I love roaming the open land, I admit, I do like to push the natural boundaries a bit. Our farm is not fenced for dogs (me and Trooper) and for the most part I usually don’t wander too far from the barn, well that is unless I get on the trail of a pesky groundhog.

Now while I am microchipped, and I wear identification tags (including my BlanketID tag) at all times, my mom always said she wished there was a way to track my where-abouts at all times. Enter GPS Trackers for dogs! Now while I haven’t tried any of these myself, I did round up a few promising prospects that perhaps someday I’ll get to take for a whirl.

RoamEO Pet Monitor System $179

By placing the battery chargeable GPS collar from RoamEO on your dog you can use their receiver to locate and track your dog should the need arise. Once it is able to locate your dog the receiver will light up with directional bars pointing you towards your pet. It will even tell you the distance your pet is from you.

My thoughts: The collar looks a bit bulky and their website says it’s meant for medium to large sized dogs, so I wonder if it would even work on smaller dogs. I do like that it only costs a one-time fee, and there is no annual subscription fee to use the tracker. It also wasn’t entirely clear on the website how far the gps can track your dog, it may be only 0.5 miles.

You can purchase the RoamEO HERE.

Garmin Astro $599

The Garmin Astro is a GPS-enabled tracking system for sporting dogs. Able to track your dog up to 9 miles, this unique system pinpoints your dog’s position and shows you exactly where he is. One GPS tracker can track up to 10 dogs and as often as every 5 seconds, your dog’s collar transmits his position to your handheld. You can see his current location and a trail of where he’s been on the map page of your handheld. Switch over to the Dog Tracker page to view a compass pointing to your dog’s location as well as his current status (stopped, walking, running). This system works with AA batteries.

My thoughts: While this model seems to be great at tracking dogs, it is more designed for hunting dogs when they are in the field – then locating a lost dog. I like that it has a map view which may make finding a dog a bit more convenient. It also only costs a one-time fee and does not require a monthly subscription plan.

You can purchase the Garmin Astro HERE.

 

Tagg Pet Tracker $100 (plus $7.95/month service)

Tagg is a pet tracking device that uses GPS and wireless technology to track your pet’s location. Using your computer or a mobile device Tagg will track your pet 24 hours a day. You can set up boundaries on their map, and whenever your dog strays from the zone the Tagg system will alert you via email or text message. You can also use Tagg to track your pet’s daily and long-term activity levels to stay on top of their health and exercise. The Tagg can easily be attached to any collar your dog owns and is fully rechargeable lasting up to 30 days. The Tagg system is not based on a range or distance from your home or docking station, and it will locate and track your pet anywhere in the United States where there is Verizon Wireless network coverage. The first 3 months of service is included with the Tagg Tracker and after that the service is $7.95/month. Additional costs apply to adding another dog to your subscription. This device is recommended for pets 10lbs or over (and can be used on cats too).

My thoughts: I really like that Tagg can locate your pet anywhere in the United States regardless of how far it is from the docking station or your home. It is also nice to be able to attach the tracker to any collar (so we can still be stylish). It’s unfortunate that there is a monthly subscription fee in addition to purchasing the pet tracker, but perhaps it’s well worth it to make sure your best friend never goes missing. I wonder how the map boundaries would work for a dog that spends time in multiple locations (like me who spends time on the family farm and at home in my own backyard) – it was unclear if you can add multiple locations to be notified if your dog leaves the area.

You can purchase the Tagg Pet Tracker HERE.

Pocket Finder $150 (plus $12.95/month service)

The PocketFinder GPS Pet Tracker turn virtually any sized collar or harness into a GPS dog collar. Simply attach the device to your dog’s collar and track them from the website or with the free apps for your smartphone. Similar to the Tagg Tracker, you can set unlimited “Geo-Fence” zones and receive alerts via email or text when your dog goes outside the zone. This rechargeable device allows you to instantly see the GPS location of your dog anytime, anywhere, with the greatest accuracy, to within a few feet of its physical location. You can even access up to 60 days of tracking history to ensure a dog walker does their job or your pet is active.

My thoughts: The website says it’s designed for dogs 20lbs or over, and the tracker device is about the size of an oreo – so it seems a bit bigger than it’s counterpart the tagg tracker. I do like how you can set up multiple zones to track your dog in, should they leave the area – and I’m not sure that the tagg can do this. The monthly service fee is a bit steeper than the comparable tagg.

You can purchase the PocketFinder HERE.

SpotLite 2.0 $120 (plus $12.99/month service)

SpotLite is able to locate your dog from anywhere at anytime using your cell phone, smart phone and/or computer. SpotLite comes with a unique “Rescue” button. If someone finds your lost dog, all he or she has to do is press the “Rescue” button and an emergency message with your dog’s location will be sent to you. Just like the Tagg and PocketFinder you can set up “SafeSpots” so when your dog strays outside the area you will receive a text or email message letting you know the current location of your dog. SpotLite also comes with the American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery (AKC CAR) support, which is available 24/7 to help you get your dog – or locate the home of a found dog enrolled in the program. Their tracking device attaches to your dog’s existing collar and is fully rechargeable.

My thoughts: Their website says the device can be used on any size dog, but they recommend 10lbs or over. I really like that this device works with the AKC CAR program, boasting to be the only GPS pet tracker on the market that offers this, which provides your pet with a unique id number and is available by phone 24/7, even giving you turn by turn directions should your pet go missing. The rescue button on the actual GPS unit is also a great bonus feature. I also like that you can set up multiple safespots (10 total) and activate up to 5 at a time. The monthly service fee is a bit higher, but it comes with a lot of extras that the other devices don’t have.

You can purchase SpotLite HERE.

I hope you enjoyed my round-up of GPS Pet Trackers. Perhaps I’ll get a chance to really test some of these out someday soon, but for now I’m just gathering up some research and deciding which one might be the best tracker for me and my lifestyle.

Any other pets out there test out some pet trackers? Which one’s were your favorite?