TECH BYTE: Tag, App Help Track Your Pets

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Lost Dog Awareness Day is this week.

Fortunately, we have new technology to help us better keep track of our pets.

Forget microchipping. Pawscout is a platform to help keep lost pets out of shelters, and get them back home as soon as possible.

“Once pets go into the shelter system, the odds of being reunited with their family are even lower, so we’re just trying to put shelters out of business, so they can focus their energy on other pet welfare issues,” said Andrea Chavez, Pawscout Founder and CEO.

There are two components to Pawscout – a smart tag you can put on your pet’s collar, and a smartphone app.

“If a pet goes missing, the owner can mark him as lost, and then a few things happen,” Chavez said. “If the pet comes within 300 feet of anyone with our app, the owner is automatically notified that it’s the last known location. The Good Samaritan is urged to contact the owner in real time. That’s one facet. The other thing that happens is in the Pawscout app, you can see all the Pawscout pets that are nearby. If a pet is marked as lost, he also appears at the top of that community feed, so if anyone’s walking around the neighborhood, you know, happens to spot that pet, that’s another way to help take care of it.”

Chavez says too often, shelter animals have to be euthanized, and she wants to keep that from happening.

In the past six months alone, 3,500 pets have been found using the tag and app.

Pawscout even lets you list important medical information about your dog if needed.

“We actually have a profile with notes on any critical medications the pet is taking, any behavioral issues a Good Samaritan might need to know about,” she said.

You don’t even have to have the Pawscout tag to download the free app.

Even though it’s safety-focused, you can check out fun features, as well.

“You can track your walks with our app and tag, you can set a virtual leash, which means if you’re at a park, you’re on a hike, you don’t necessarily have your pet tethered, but you want to keep track of them, you can set the virtual leash. You receive alerts if the pet goes out of bounds. We also have thousands of pet friendly points of interest,” Chavez said.

You can get the Pawscout tag at Walmart, various pet retailers, grocery stores, and even online.