Denver's Pettag+ recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to introduce a connected pet tag. Essentially the tag connects with an app, already available for iOS devices and soon available on Android devices, to track dogs and cats and lets their owners monitor their activities and basic health.
"We have applied the same on-the-go connectedness that humans enjoy today with the pet world," says Shahir Ahmed, founder and CEO of Pet Tag Plus. "We want to focus on ease of use and affordability for pet owners to make their lives easier. Pettag+ brings the power of the cloud to the pet world, for the first time."
The device fits on a pet collar and has a Bluetooth chip with a 150-foot range allowing owners to track a pet nearby. It also uses crowdsourced GPS to track a pet's location in case they get lost. If they do get lost the fob has a QR code that allows a person who finds a lost dog or cat with the tag to scan it and notify the owner and can contact the 24/7 800 number to notify the PetHub network behind the connected device. Since the device can connect to up to seven people it can be useful even if the owner is away and the pet is being watched by a friend or pet-sitter.
For night walks and to confirm which buttons were pressed the device also features LED lights, is waterproof to 20 feet and designed for what dogs can dish out. It operates on a watch battery that typically lasts for a year.
Pettag+ comes with basic access to the PetHub network and users can upgrade to a premium version of the network if they choose to do so. Owners can create a profile for the pet, which includes information about its health and goals. Its accelerometer, allows pet owners to track their pet's activities and how much exercise it's getting.
The device is priced affordably. "It has become very apparent that the average consumer doesn't want to spend the $100 to $200 price of other connected pet products, so we have developed our unique solution to the connected pet with a simple lost and found feature that actually is proven to work," Ahmed said. The device is $65 and people can purchase it for $25 via Kickstarter.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.
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