(Consumer Reports)-You can hunt down a misplaced iPhone or a complicated address using GPS—why not a lost dog or cat?
We tested three devices for keeping track of pets. Each has a GPS unit that stays on the pet and communicates with the owner. In testing, our “pet” was often an engineer who wandered around our headquarters while another tester tried to find him.
The Garmin and Tagg devices link to a cell-phone system, and info is accessed on a smart phone or computer. The PetTronix communicates through radio waves with a handset used by the owner. All require GPS communication, so when GPS isn’t available, they don’t work.
PetTronix RoamEO, $200
How it works. Rubber collar with GPS unit and battery compartment communicates by radio with the owner’s handset, which has its own GPS and compass. Handset displays distance and direction to the collar, updating continually. Display can be backlit for night use. This device doesn’t require separate service.
Pluses. When it worked, it worked well, easily tracking a moving target. Use doesn’t require cell-phone coverage or any other subscription.
Minuses. The range depends on the terrain and is at most half a mile. Battery charge lasted about 24 hours, and the two batteries must be recharged separately. So if you leave the collar on your pet because you never know when it will wander, you’ll recharge the batteries a lot. The collar is bulky, so it’s best for medium or big dogs.
Garmin GTU 10, $200
How it works. Zipped nylon case attaches to pet collar with Velcro. Uses AT&T network to communicate and can be tracked from a browser or app on a smart phone. Up to 10 “geofences” can be configured as virtual boundaries. If the pet crosses one, the owner gets an e-mailed warning. This device includes a year of service; there's a $50 annual renewal fee.
Pluses. Unlimited range. Case stayed securely connected. Geofences were easy to configure. Deluxe plan ($4.99 extra per month) allows tracking kids or cars, too.
Minuses. Battery life can be short, and location info updates slowly in the mode that yields the longest battery life.
Tagg Pet Tracker, $100
How it works. Clips to collar. Uses Verizon network and can be tracked from a browser or a smart-phone app. Communication can also be through text messages. One “Tagg Zone” geofence can be configured around the charging station. This device includes one month of service; there's a $7.95 monthly renewal fee.
Pluses. Unlimited range. Tagg and clip stayed secure. Tracking was quick and easy. Tagg Zone was easy to configure.
Minuses. Battery life can be short when the device isn’t near base station. Tagg Zone’s minimum size is about 4 acres—useless if your desired pet area is small.
Good Dog! Golden Retriever Saves Owner Who Fell and Broke His Neck in Icy Cold
A Michigan man lay sprawled on the ground just 15 feet from his front door after he was paralyzed in a fall on his ice-slicked steps.
For more than 20 hours, his loyal dog, Kelsey, didn’t move either; she licked his face and hands, spread her body over his, and stayed with him in the freezing cold until a neighbor happened upon them.
Read: Man Punches Cougar in Face to Save His Dog from Attack: 'You Protect Your Family'
"He was kept warm and alive," Dr. Chaim Cohen, a neurosurgeon at McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital, told InsideEdition.com Thursday. The dog owner was "very fortunate."
His patient, who asked to only be identified as Bob, suffered three herniated discs and had a core temperature below 70 degrees. In surgery, Cohen removed portions of the discs pressing on his spinal cord, but didn’t know if those measures would lessen Bob’s paralysis.
As it turns out, they did.
"He has done very well," Dr. Cohen said. "People don’t usually recover so fast."
Bob is now walking and undergoing intensive therapy at a rehabilitation center. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Bob fell on New Year’s Eve at about 10:30 p.m. He had been watching football, and stepped outside to quckly pick up some firewood. He was wearing long johns, a shirt and slippers.
After slipping on the icy snow and falling hard, he couldn’t move his legs or arms. He began screaming for help, he told hospital staff, but his nearest neighbor is a quarter-mile away.
It was Kelsey who came running. She laid on top of him and licked him, and barked liked crazy.
Bob’s voice eventually gave out, but Kelsey’s didn’t.
Read: 'Hero' Dog Saves Owner from Bear Attack on Trail: 'I Never Run Without Him'
“She was letting out this screeching howl,” Bob told medical workers. His neighbor found him at 6:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day when he came over to borrow some eggs.
Kelsey continued her vigilance at the hospital, where she posed for photos with Bob’s doctors and licked her owner’s face, just above his new neck brace.
Watch: A Pet Dog Saved This Couple's Toddler From Snake Attack