New technology trialled to help find lost dogs

Lost dogs in Hamilton could be a thing of the past if a new initiative is successful. The Hamilton City Council in partnership with a new dog tag technology, Doggone, are trialling a system to help reunite dog owners with their lost dogs easily and quickly.

Dog owners in Nawton, Grandview Heights and areas of Dinsdale will be the first ones to invited to do the free trial.

Doggone links a virtual ID the owner has created for their dog with a Bluetooth registration tag and the free Doggone App.

The Bluetooth tag essentially ‘talks to’ the Doggone App and when the dog is marked as lost on the App by its owner, the owner receives location updates of where their dog has been. The location updates are initiated when the dog passes within 60m of someone else with the Doggone App.

CEO of Doggone Ltd, Tracy Austin, said the inspiration behind Doggone was the opportunity to reduce the anxiety and stress felt both by a dog owner and the dog when the dog is lost.

“I wanted to develop a way of quickly reuniting dog and dog owner that is smart, safe, easy to use and accessible to everyone to encourage a whole of community response to keeping dogs out of shelters and at home where they belong.”

The trial will run from October to December 2018 with eligible dog owners needing to sign up before Wednesday, September 19.

The council and Doggone will also host two public drop-in days to show how the system works on September 14 and 15 from 10am to 2pm at the Western Community Centre.

There is no cost to the dog owners taking part in the trial.

The App is available for iPhone and Android devices.