Our loved dog has gone missing. Has anyone used a GPS dog collar?

Factual Questions
1

Hello Everyone,

As the title says, one of our beloved family members has give missing. We live on five acres and the entire property is fenced in, so usually the dogs can run the property without a problem. There is a gate between our property and our neighbors that is locked. Unknown to either my wife, I or our neighbors the kids have been squeezing through the gate and fence. By doing this a space was created between the gate and the fence, one big enough for the dogs to get through. Yesterday, we let our Great Dane and Australian Sheppard out for their afternoon exercise and both got out and started exploring the neighborhood. (a big area as all the homes here are on a minimum five acres up to fifty acres).

The moment we realized that the dogs had gotten out we started searching. In about ten minutes Gunner the Great Dane came running back, I’m sure he heard us calling. However, no sign of Carson, the Australian Sheppard. We spent hours yesterday and last night searching the area with me driving a mile and half circuit. A have put up flyers, contacted local animal control and the local SPCA and asked them to be on the lookout for him and every neighbor that was home is aware and looking. He has a collar with the appropriate tags and is chipped. My wife is heartbroken, the kids are upset and I feel so helpless not being able to do anything. With any luck, Carson is just lost in the woods and will find his way to someone that will call us. I guess the only thing we can do at this point is pray and wait.

A year or so ago I remember seeing a GPS dog collar at one of the local pet superstores. If I recall it was quite expensive, somewhere around $150 or $200. However, seeing the heartache that is happening since Carson has gone missing I can see a collar like this being worth every penny. So, I am getting ready to order one from an internet company for our Great Dane and will get one for Carson when we find him. Has anyone here ever bought one and what did you think? Did it work as claimed, could you track your dog’s location without a problem? Hopefully this will be the insurance we need to never have to go through this again. I only wish I had purchased one a bit sooner.

On a side note, every single time I have ever posted a dog related question in a forum it never fails that I get people accusing me of not being a good dog owner, because they disagree about whatever that particular subject is with me. In this case I am sure someone will say how we were irresponsible owners because we let our dogs outside without a leash. Before you take to typing let me assure you that isn’t the case. Out property is completely fenced in and the dogs absolutely love the freedom they have to run and play. They were able to get off our property because the local kids (ours included) were squeezing through a locked gate, making an opening big enough for the dogs to get through) Our dogs are very loved and taken care of. They receive all the necessary vet appointments, are properly fed and they are chipped. I am asking about the effectiveness of GPS dog collars, not for your opinion on my families caring of our dogs. We are very concerned about Carson and absolutely devastated that he has give missing. Your berating isn’t helpful. To those of you providing useful information I would like to thank you in advance.

Obbn

2

I’ve got nothing to add…just wanting to wish you good luck and hope you find Carson, ASAP.

Edit: Actually, did you post your lost dog online, such as http://public.homeagain.com/?

3

My concern would be batteries.
GPS is notorious for sucking up batteries. I doubt the collar would be updating by the second, but still. How often do you think the update would need to happen? every hour or so? I guess that might work out okay. But check the specs on what batteries you would need and how often you would need to change them.

4

leave the gate open in case the dog returns. keep the other dog on leash, when outside, until the other returns and you can close it again.

5

Certainly not going to berate you, in spite of every barrier you can throw up, in the end dogs are going to find the one gap you leave and go exploring.

By blanketing the area with flyers we recovered a lost pet years ago. He was missing for four days before we found him.

Any one around with a dog in heat? Local vets may be able to help you with that question. Also take your other dog for walks outside your property, on a leash of course. Carson may smell a familiar dog scent and come looking for his buddy.

Good luck with your search, I’ll have our mutt Lucy send good doggie vibes to Carson.

6

A GPS dog collar is not meant for 24/7/365 use. It’s for instances when you are knowingly turning your dog loose into open area, id est hunting.

7

Thanks for the well wishes, we just got back from another frustrating two hour drive looking for him. As anyone knows who has had a pet go missing, the not knowing is the absolute worst part. We have left our gates open in case he returns. I’ve been getting up every hour through the night just to see if he is waiting at the door. He is neutered so I don’t think he is out searching for a fun time.

I did however jump the gun before I gave SD a chance and purchased a collar good a system. The system has a rechargeable battery. Apparently it sends you a text if the battery needs recharging. It also sends a text if your dog leaves a specified zone you set up in the software. The collar can be tracked either on our computer or smartphone. Hopefully this will prevent another heartache, I just wish I had purchased one before this happened. The device cost me $99 and a monthly fee of $8, but I am finding out that it will be a small price to pay if we never go through this again. My wife is devastated and I feel like I can’t help. The device is called TAGG, the pet tracker. If anyone has used one I would love to hear how it worked for you.

In the meantime Carson is in our prayers and with a little luck he will be home for Thanksgiving. Thanks everyone.

8

Thanks for the well wishes, we just got back from another frustrating two hour drive looking for him. As anyone knows who has had a pet go missing, the not knowing is the absolute worst part. We have left our gates open in case he returns. I’ve been getting up every hour through the night just to see if he is waiting at the door. He is neutered so I don’t think he is out searching for a fun time.

I did however jump the gun before I gave SD a chance and purchased a collar GPS system. The system has a rechargeable battery. Apparently it sends you a text if the battery needs recharging. It also sends a text if your dog leaves a specified zone you set up in the software. The collar can be tracked either on our computer or smartphone. Hopefully this will prevent another heartache, I just wish I had purchased one before this happened. The device cost me $99 and a monthly fee of $8, but I am finding out that it will be a small price to pay if we never go through this again. My wife is devastated and I feel like I can’t help. The device is called TAGG, the pet tracker. If anyone has used one I would love to hear how it worked for you.

In the meantime Carson is in our prayers and with a little luck he will be home for Thanksgiving. Thanks everyone.

9

Sorry, went to edit some auto correct mistakes and ended up somehow with a double post. Stupid tablet!

10

I wish you luck in your search. My black lab would sometimes wander all night to sow his wild oats-once found him in a kennel with a female in heat with the dopiest “I just got laid!” smile on his face. Usually he’d be back on my front doorstep in the morning.

11

Sadness and hope from here too.

12

Fingers crossed. Any news today?

13

This is the right one to get. I’ve comparison-shopped the heck out of these devices, and Tagg is definitely the best combination of features. My dad’s dog has one, and, while he’s never gone missing, we do check it occasionally and have never had a problem.

14

Keep searching. Call local veterinary practices and shelters.

A coupla summers ago we found a dog. Searched the area where he was found, put up signs, notified everyone we could. A week later and no luck finding the owners, we decided the dog fit in well and we would end up keeping him.

Then we got a call. The dog’s owners had been hospitalized after a quad wreck. They assumed the dog was killed in the accident. In reality the little dog must have been thrown a distance and landed without a scratch, then ran off.

The couple came to pick the dog up. They were all bandaged and bruised. He was on crutches. They were both crying.

Anyway, keep looking.

15

Thanks to everyone for the positive thoughts and inspirational stories, knowing there are prayers being said does provide some comfort. Unfortunately we have had no sign of Carson as of yet. It’s a big area though. Animal control in our county is very good at their job, so hopefully he will be picked up soon.

More than anything I want to ease my wife’s pain. Carson was her best buddy and I can see the toll it’s taking on her. With any luck she will have a teary eyed reunion with Carson. Hell, even Gunner theGreat Dane is depressed. He’s been moping around since his buddy failed to follow him home. We went out in the yard yesterday and asked Gunner, “where’s Carson?” He took of like a shot to the edge of our property, turning around to make sure we were being him. We leashed him up and let him lead us. He dragged us through the brush and stopped at the spot we last knew that Carson had been. Every time we attempted to leave he would try to pull us back to the spot. It was quite touching. Anyone who says animals, and especially dogs, have no feelings hasn’t had one. Gunner knows his friend is gone and he is genuinely concerned.

16

All I can add is that it’s not uncommon for dogs to take their time in returning home. My sister’s dog got out and was gone for about three weeks, then one morning he was just waiting at the front door. Cats can go even longer (my sister-in-law once had hers disappear for several months only to show up safe & sound). I realize this doesn’t help much with the waiting (my sister was a wreck the whole time he was gone), but it’s very good that your pouch is collared & chipped.

Given your description of the two dogs’ bond I would continue to take him around the area woods to help locate him. Dogs have amazing senses of smell, and that would work both ways (i.e. they’d attract each other’s scent).

I sincerely hope you find him.

17

Have you checked Facebook?
Search for Lost Dogs of [your city/state] or Found Dogs of [your city/state] or Lost and found Dogs of [your city/state]

I have a friend that actually managed to get her dog back that way. She stopped on the side of the road to get something out of the back seat and didn’t notice that her dog had jumped out of the car. Found it on Lost Dogs of Milwaukee a few days later.
I don’t know if the person who found it posted it or if she posted that she lost it and they got in contact with her that way.

18

Update?

19

Get a chip. It’s cheaper, doesn’t have a monthly cost, and anyone who catches it and takes it anywhere, they’ll scan the chip and you’ll get a phone call.

My dog’s escaped dozens of times (he either will jump over or dig under; we’ve had to start locking him in), and due to helpful nearby neighborhoods, we’ve been extremely lucky. :). I was even called one morning at 8:00 to tell me that random strangers found him 2 miles away and had actively caught him.

Of course you will get the ones who think you don’t care of your dog. Mine happens to be thin; it’s his breed. He gets 4 cups per day. But I still get the complainers. I still haven’t been back to the dog park because I don’t want to hear that,

20

He mentioned Carson has been chipped.

Please let us have an update obbn! In the meantime, a hopeful story of when my dog went missing:

Jana, my black lab, is always extremely well behaved. She is hardly ever on her lead because she walks to heal perfectly and she responds immediately when called. Her one problem is very loud, unexpected bangs, such as fireworks or gunshots. It scares her and she takes off. It’s happened a few times, and she is usually found very soon because of her chip.

One time we were walking on the beach and there was very sudden, violent thunder. She took off at top speed. We spent most of the night looking for her in foul weather. And then the next day, all the time waiting for a phone call. Nothing came. We kept searching, calling, whistling. We postered and flyered the area. Days went by, we were distraught. I emailed everyone in my contacts. I emailed customer services of every company I had ever been in touch with. Literally, everyone got an email.

Then an old class mate messaged me to say he had found my dog. He was a tease and frankly a bit of a jerk as I remembered, so I didn’t believe him. Besides, he lived miles away. He said: “I have your dog!” I told him to sod off, that I was really upset. He said, no really, he actually thought it sounded like my dog. He worked at a beach bar. She’d come walking up and the owners had decided to keep her.

THEY HAD DECIDED TO KEEP HER

Just like that. Dog walks up, an obviously loved and very well mannered dog and you think you can keep her?! This was the Netherlands, it’s not like there are strays! She has a chip, they should’ve checked, but no, they liked her and were going to keep her.

We drove up, and Jana of course immediately went bananas. She was thrilled to see us. It had been a week. They had taken care of her (though they had also been feeding her chips) so I thanked them, and tried to control myself as I explained that it is not ok to just decide that you will keep a dog. They actually said that they thought it was “useful” that she was so well behaved, as it meant she could easily hang out at the bar. They had bought her a bed and bowl and everything. :mad:

This was years ago. Jana is an old, old lady now, and her going a little deaf has been something of a blessing! She has beautiful grey eyebrows now, but she still manages to go bananas every time I come home.

Anyway, keep flyering, let everyone know that you are looking for your Carson. There might some idiot somewhere who thought they were being nice taking in a stray. So get his picture out there! He’ll come back. :slight_smile: