(Published in Aug. 2008)

Where's Fido?
Both hi- and low-tech devices popular in dog ID category.
By Scott and Ann Springer

Every pet owner's worst nightmare is to come home to discover his or her pet is missing. After checking all the usual places – the dog's bed, its food bowls, and even the yard – the search comes up empty. There's no sign of Rover.

Just like in the case of a missing child, the first 15 minutes after a dog goes astray are most critical in locating it, says John Cullen, the director of marketing for Zoombak LLC, a New York City, N.Y.-based manufacturer.

"There are so many problems that can occur once a dog is out of sight," Cullen says. These including the pet encountering an aggressive dog or being hit by a car while wandering the neighborhood, he says.

In most cases, an owner find his or her missing pets through searching the streets or through the help of a Good Samaritan who comes come across the dog and returns it, Cullen says.

However, many pet manufacturers have adopted technology from the human market and have transferred it to the pet identification products segment. These high-tech products, along with improved traditional ones, may help fewer pets from being permanently displaced.

Low-Tech Tags
Traditional metal identification tags have been around for decades, but in recent years they've become more durable, says Loralei Zwitt, the owner of My Dog & Me, a retail shop located in Houston, Texas.

Zwitt carries a tag in her shop that boasts an engraving guaranteed to be readable for the life of the dog. "This product is doing really well in our store," Zwitt says. "It's an excellent point-of-sale item so we put it by the register."

Metal ID products are extremely low-tech, inexpensive, and a Good Samaritan who finds the dog can easily identify a dog's owner. However, these products are passive and require a third party to find the animal once it wanders away, Cullen says.

A metal ID tag should be a bare minimum for all dog owners, Zwitt says. A wall in Zwitt's shop displays pictures of dogs currently missing in the community, most of which, Zwitt says, weren't carrying tags when they disappeared. "Customers come in and see the wall and it provokes them to put tags on their dogs," she adds.

More Advanced Tracking
Five to seven years ago, microchip technology became a popular method for identifying missing pets, Cullen says.

"We host microchip events with a veterinarian in our store," Zwitt says. "These products have been pretty popular."

However, these products have their downside as well. "Not every veterinarian has a scanning machine compatible for all manufacturers, and while you can identify the pet once it's found, you can't locate the pet," Cullen says.

Also, a passerby who finds a lost dog needs to know the animal is microchipped and then take it to a vet's office, Zwitt adds.

USB port-compatible identification tags came into the market place two or three years ago as a solution to engraved metal dog ID tags that offered limited information. These tags provide contact information as well as medication and allergy information, Cullen says.

While these ID sticks carry more information than most other devices on the market, they require the person who finds the dog to know what it is and how to use it, Cullen says. "It requires the person who comes across the dog to take the stick and plug it in," he adds.

High-Tech Hunting
In the last year, several manufacturers have adapted Global Positioning System technology to a pet identification application. "A pet owner can use the device and locate a missing pet within 50 feet of the missing pet's actual location," Cullen says.

An owner can set up a safety zone for his or her pet—at home, at work, or at a park—and if the dog leaves that defined space the owner will be notified by text message or email with directions to the closest cross street where the dog is located.

"These devices put control into the pet owner's hands instead of leaving it up to a Good Samaritan," Cullen says.

Another pet tracking device utilizes GPS technology paired with radio technology instead of cellular technology. The missing pet is tracked with a color receiver that updates every few seconds and doesn't require cell phone service or cellular reception, says Brian Brown, the North American sales director for White Bear Technologies, a St. Paul, Minn.-based company.

This type of device may be helpful for users living in rural areas where GPS street coordinates wouldn't accurate depict where the dog was. "If you're in the woods, or out hiking, a street address may not do you any good," Brown says.

The downsides to these devices include their high price tags, their inability to fit on small breeds, and their potential lack of appeal to non-tech savvy customers, Cullen says.

Some of these GPS-operated products also have a two-way waterproof speaker phone that allows an owner to contact his or her dog or a Good Samaritan to call the owner, says Shane Gray, the director of business development for PetsMobility, a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based manufacturer.

"It has social and practical uses," Gray says. "It's like putting a walking speaker phone on your pet."

Many manufacturers recommend consumers purchase more than one identification method for their pets to ensure their safe return. "We recommend pairing a high-tech product with a great reliable low-tech device," Gray says.

Overcoming Sales Barriers
Consumer education about the importance of these products is also a major obstacle in this category. "You'd be amazed at the number of people who don't put any kind of ID product on their dogs," Zwitt says.

Others may be nervous about using the more technologically advanced products. "It's not difficult to understand or use high-tech products, but it's definitely a new category," Cullen says.

In-store demonstrations and effective point-of-purchase brochures help to educate consumers about the features and ease of use of these products, Cullen says.

The more expensive products are harder to merchandise because they tend to be kept in locked glass cabinets to protect them from theft, Cullen says. "It makes it more difficult to get the products into consumers' hands," he says. "Placard displays and empty box displays are a great way around the theft issue because people like to touch and feel a product."

Finally, cost deters many consumers. "Price is definitely a barrier to sales of high-tech products," Cullen says. "But if an owner weighs the pros and cons of having an active safety system for his or her dog, then price falls out of the equation."