It’s a 5 ounce pet tag (which I
assume could also be tucked into a cantle pack or even braided into a horse’s
mane) that has GPS technology to track the whereabouts of the pet at any given
time. You can either initiate tracking via cell phone, and it will send
you a text message of your pet’s current address (dunno how well that
would work way out in the boonies), or you can log onto a website, and it will
show you on a map where the critter is.
The cost is about $300 on Amazon, there’s
a $35 set-up fee for the account, and some sort of monthly service plan that
allows x number of locators per month. No, I don’t have one (might
get one, though, given my young mare’s apparent desire to part company
with me at a moment’s notice)<g>, nor do I know of anyone that’s
actually gotten one. The reviews by actual users on Amazon were
mixed---some people thought it worked well, others said technical support was
awful, or it didn’t send alerts when it was supposed to.
One buyer had an alternate suggestion of
buying a Verizon Migo , a GPS tracking unit for kids. Attach it to a dog
(or horse) and bingo, same thing. The cost is about fifty bucks, plus ten
dollars a month for service, plus you have to have a Verizon Family Plan and a
phone that is Chaperon Capable. Don’t ask me what any of that means,
I’m lucky to remember my cell number at any given time, let alone what
plan I have (I dial, it connects. Good enough.)
Anyway, both are food for thought.
Pretty nifty stocking stuffers and sure would pay for themselves if a horse got
loose from camp.
