Over the millennium domesticated animals have moved from the barnyard into our homes. Pets that started out as animals used for work or food have now become members of the family. Pets come in all shapes and all sizes. There are dogs, cats, pigs, snakes, even roaches. If the animal exists, it is probably a pet somewhere.
Many people do not have children. Their pets have become like their children and they care deeply for them. It is very traumatic when a pet becomes lost. In years past the only way we had to find our lost pets were to put up signs in the neighborhood. We could advertise in the newspaper and call our friends. When pet shelters and animal control were created we had a place we could go to look for our lost pets. Lost pets that are collected are taken to the local animal shelter. This is a great system and is necessary in our big cities where roaming lost animals are a big problem.
Having animal control and shelters does not mean your pet will be found. This is not enough for people today. When their beloved "Fluffy" is lost, they want to be able to find them immediately. This need created a market for new devices to track and locate pets.
These "Pet Finder" devices come in a variety of ways. Some of these are:
o The dog tag: a simple tag attached to your pet's collar which vital information is engraved. Some of this information is your pet's name, your phone number and possibly your address.
o Tattoos: a serial number is tattooed on the pet's skin. The number is put into a database and can be used by veterinarians or animal control. This was a good idea but has not been widely adopted or implemented.
o Microchip: small chips were created to be implanted under the animal's skin. Shelters and Vet's could scan the chip and gain information about the pet. More than one manufacturer for the chip led to more than one standard. This means there must be more than one scanner to read the chips. This led to the microchip not being very popular.
o Mobile locators: simple device that will beep or flash a light to locate your pet when a button is pushed on a remote. Remember your old key finder device, the mobile pet locator works the same way.
o GPS locators: this is the hot new way to track and locate your pet. Technology designed for the military has made its way to the private sector. This was good news for us. It led to many new electronic devices and gadgets. GPS uses satellites in space to locate and track devices on the ground. It is incredibly accurate and is used today in everything from kid and pet locators, cell phones, and our automobiles. For a Pet Finder device it is used by attaching a GPS locator device to your pet's collar. You can then track your pet's location through your computer, cell phone, or by calling the company you bought the service from. It is amazing technology. You can set up safe zones; such as your yard. If you're pet leaves the yard you could be notified in several ways; a cell phone text message, a beeping noise from your pet's collar, notification on your computer, and even a phone call from the company.
Pet finder technology has come a long way. It is has been good news for us. Gone are the days where we have to roam the neighborhood shouting out our pet's Name. Today we can flip open our cell phones and know exactly where "rover" is. Note: this same technology is being used to help track and locate our children. If you have children you should look into this ever changing technology to help keep your children safe.
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Victor C. is an Engineer in Computer Systems who loves to read and write about any subject, as long as it's interesting and useful for the reader.
He is specially interested in Health, Flirting and Babies And Animals
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