Canadian musician Jann Arden has always been concerned about losing her dog Midi, but now she and her business partner Derek Sheldon have developed a pet-tracking device to help subside her fears.
The new pet-tracking mechanism, the Arden Collar, ensures any pet adorned with the collar could easily be located by its owner within minutes.
Sheldon, an iOS developer, created the Arden Collar to connect its imbedded GPS to the Iridium Satellite Network and work with Canadian cellular providers via a SIM card to track missing pets instantly.
Sheldon said currently there are already tracking devices available for pets that use GPS devices attached to existing collars, but there is nothing available for purchase that is as effective for instantaneously tracking missing pets.
“This collar will reduce the amount of time that owners search for their missing pets to seconds instead hours, days, or even weeks,” said Sheldon.
Arden said the purpose of the collar is to give pet owners peace of mind.
“We hope you don’t ever have to use our product, but chances are you will have to,” said Arden.
Arden has partnered with Bragg Creek veterinarian Dr. Judith Sampson-French on the Arden Collar initiative, because she and Sheldon felt they needed a professional practitioner to act as an advisor on the project.
Through her veterinarian practice, Sampson-French said she has handled dozens of injury cases involving lost and missing cats and dogs that have been hit by cars, and that she is informed by owners on a weekly basis about dogs that have gone missing in her community.
“Some of these missing dogs were found by people who brought them to my clinic already having died due to being hit by a car,” said Sampson-French. “We have had medical cases we should never have seen and that could have been avoided.”
“At least now with this collar, dogs can be found within minutes of going missing,” Sampson-French added. “By having the Arden Collar, owners know really quickly where their pet is and can take an active role in finding them.”
The collar also has high-intensity LED lights, which act like a strobe feature that the owner could activate after their pet has gone missing.
“You are going to see a flashing dog and will even be able to notice the lights on a bright sunny day,” said Sheldon. “Dogs who wear the collar will be seen, which can be especially important if they are missing at night, or are crossing a busy street.”
People who find the missing pets wearing these collars are able to access the animal’s information quite easily.
“Once you are about two feet away from the dog, people can use their cellphone to get information, such as the pet’s contact information and home address,” said Sheldon.
After receiving positive feedback about the collar, Sheldon and Arden realized that their technology had helpful uses for humans as well and developed a bracelet vulnerable people could wear.
“Jann and I decided that there was no reason we should restrict this device to pets only,” said Sheldon. “What about providing a voice for an autistic child, or a person with dementia?”
“Our mission is to give back to the world and help as many animals and people as we can.”
Arden and her business partners are using the crowd-sourcing platform Indiegogo to raise funds for the future manufacturing costs of the collar.
“Our goal is to raise $400,000 in 30 days, by December 14,” said Arden. “We hope to roll out this product by October 2015.”
“Midi means everything to me and that is part of the reason we invented this product,” said Arden. “I am so excited, and I hope to get the word out about the Arden Collar.”
