PetHub Turns Smartphones Into A Valuable Tracking Tool
Most dogs aren’t equipped with a microchip, but most humans are equipped with a smart phone. And PetHub is using that kind of technology to help reunite owners with their lost dogs.
According to the American Humane Association, about 17 percent of lost dogs make their way back home. With PetHub’s digital ID pet tags, anyone can easily help a lost pet get home, whether it’s using a Smartphone (iPhone, Android, or Blackberry) to scan the QR code, using the website address on the tag to view a pet’s online profile or placing a toll-free call.
Light, durable, inexpensive and easy to clip onto a dog collar, PetHub tags feature a QR code that allows anyone with a camera phone and a QR phone scanner app to scan the tag to bring up a dog’s personal information. As well, if you’ve got an Android phone such as the Samsung Galaxy Note II or the new BlackBerry Z10, all you have to do is place the phone next to the chip to instantly see the contact info (these phones have an NFC chip to read the tag). The QR-code on a dog’s tag comes with a unique web address that gives the scanner access to that dog’s important critical information and immediately lets that person take proper action.
If your dog has a PetHub tag and someone finds him, they can also call the 24/7, 365 days-a-year toll-free hotline. They are connected to live U.S. operator who can take steps to email or call the owner to help get the dog back home.
For owners, it’s super easy to register, add or change the information stored in the PetHub database. You can store multiple contact phone numbers, alternative emergency contacts, important medications and dietary needs, your dog’s latest vaccination records, vet and insurance providers, and license, microchip and rabies tag numbers.
PetHub also has a database of 17,000 shelters in North America. If an animal goes missing, the pet owner can broadcast the pet’s profile to those shelters, similar to an “Amber Alert”.
There’s a premium service subscribers can also opt into. This includes perks such as the “Amber Alert” pet recovery database, email notifications with GPS mapping and $3,000 of emergency health coverage.
There are a slew of tag designs, colors and styles to choose from (we like the skull and crossbones and the one that proclaims “I’m a geek dog!”), as well as a scuff collar that has the tag imbedded right in the fabric. Tags start in price from $12.95 (and comes with free basic service), while service packages range from free to $49 a year. You can see all of their offerings on the PetHub website.
Amy Tokic, Editor of PetGuide.com, is a passionate animal lover and proud pet parent of Oscar, a Shih Tzu/Chihuahua cross, and Zed, a Japanese Chin. Her love of animals began in kindergarten, when she brought her stuffed dog Snoopy into class with her every day. Now, she writes about her adventures in pet ownership and tirelessly researches products, news and health related issues she can share with other animal enthusiasts. In her free time, Amy loves perusing used book and record stores, obsessing over the latest pet products available and chasing squirrels with wild abandon (a habit attributed to spending too much time with her pooches).
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