Orange Offers Lost Dog Tracker Service

Orange UK has launched a mobile phone type collar for pet dogs to track their locations. According to the Missing Pets Bureau, nearly 2,500 dogs were lost or stolen every week in 2007. The Retrieva collar will help combat this through its instant tracking and alert system linked directly to your mobile phone.

All you need to do is open the mapping application on your mobile phone and request the collarÃ's location, which will then appear live on the map. WhatÃ's more if your phone is GPS enabled you will also be able to plot your location relative to that of your dog.

The collar has an Orange SIM embedded inside it and uses three technologies; GPS, GSM and Radio Frequency to track the dog. The three technologies ensure an overlapping and reinforced system to monitor and track your dog.

The collar works with the ICyou, a portable smart base station which sits in the home and doubles as the recharging unit for the collar. The ICyou is an automated monitoring system that will alert you if the dog leaves home unexpectedly. The Retrieva collar also has anti-theft and waterproof features. These include cut-proof technology in the collar webbing so that if anyone tries to tamper with the lock, or cut the collar, the collar will send you a text message to let you know. The collar is also waterproof so that even the best canine swimmers can enjoy themselves without damaging the collar.

"As dog owners and dog lovers, we understand how upsetting it can be when you lose your dog, no matter what length of time," said Jon Bryan, co-founder of Retrieva. "We knew there had to be an easier way to find your dog than the current solutions available and so decided to develop the collar system. This is an innovative product which will give owners peace of mind about their dogsÃ' whereabouts and safety. The product combines the very best tracking technology with the award winning ViewRanger mapping system and the extensive Orange GSM network coverage. We wanted to put answers straight into ownerÃ's hands and that is what we have done."

The eagerly anticipated system will soon be launched in the UK and costs £9.99 a month to operate, plus a one off charge of £250 for the package of one collar.

Posted to the site on 3rd December 2008