The Play-tag is an invisible leash, emergency LED, and vital information storage device all-in-one wearable ID system.
It’s no secret that our pets are members of our family – and for many of us, they’re our best friend. We do everything in our power to keep them happy, fed and safe, but every now and then, despite our best efforts, disaster can strike. It can come in the form of a snapped leash, a hole in a fence, or an unlatched door. According to the American Humane Association, an estimated 10 million pets go missing or are stolen each year. Play-tag is a new device devoted to bringing them home faster.
Play-tag takes the idea of the microchip and takes it one step further. A durable, water-proof tag that goes on your pet’s collar, Play-tag is connected to an app that can be downloaded on your smartphone. This app has a lot of benefits. If your dog is lost, other app users can help you find him. It also offers a crowd-find and reward feature, so other users can pull up info on your dog and alert you if they find him.
Related:Findster, The GPS Pet Tracker With No Monthly Fees
A cool feature of the Play-tag system is the virtual leash. The virtual leash uses GPS to track your dog up to a radius of 150 feet. This means if you’re out hiking and they run off for a few minutes, you know where to find them. The app alerts you if they leave the designated area, and lights up their collar when they do. And because this tag doesn’t rely on network service, you can use it in rural areas. (The only feature that requires service is for accessing information about your dog, which is store on the cloud.)
If your dog does happen to get outside of the pre-set radius, the LED paw print on the Play-tag will light up, alerting others to the fact that Fido has wandered off. The purpose of the lighting up is to make it easier to spot him, so if he starts running about during the night, he will be visible to pedestrians and drivers.
Related:How Does a Dog Microchip Protect Your Pooch?
We do everything in our power to keep our pets safe, but some things are out of our control. Before I rescued Maria, I had a little sighthound mix named Dixie. She was my demo dog for my obedience training, and the love of my life, but one day she slipped the fence at the neighbors. Her story ended tragically, and it’s one of the reasons I began my own company – to prevent other people from having to experience what she did. Dixie’s story was nobody’s fault, but I am a huge advocate for anything that helps other people in emergency situations. We never think it will happen to us, but the reality is we need to be prepared for any situation, and the Play-tag is a great tool to have when the worst happens.
The Play-tag system doesn’t charge monthly service fees and the app is free to download, so you’re just paying for the ID tag. You can pre-order the tag for $49.99 from the Play-tag website.
Rachel Leavy lives in Rochester, New York with her dog, Maria, and her gecko, Nigel. She has loved animals all her life, and has owned her own dog training and walking company for five years. When she’s not playing with puppies, she can usually be found writing short stories, riding horses or out at a play.
