Pawscout helps keep track of lost dogs

ERFURT, GERMANY - JUNE 14: Janet Schoen from Germany prepares a Bichon Frise prior to judging in the 3rd National and International Dog Grooming Championships on June 14, 2014 in Erfurt, Germany. The event has drawn 32 competitors, with 52 dogs, from 5 countries and is taking place as part of the annual Erfurt dog breeders' show. (Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)
ERFURT, GERMANY - JUNE 14: Janet Schoen from Germany prepares a Bichon Frise prior to judging in the 3rd National and International Dog Grooming Championships on June 14, 2014 in Erfurt, Germany. The event has drawn 32 competitors, with 52 dogs, from 5 countries and is taking place as part of the annual Erfurt dog breeders' show. (Photo by Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)

Pawscout is a way to keep track of your pet, even if you’re elsewhere.

Sometimes our pets can get lost – at least temporarily – and that’s stressful. But a company called Pawscout has a product that could ease the stress of those situations.

They make a Bluetooth-enabled pet tag that easily connects to your dog’s collar, and transmits their location to an app on your smartphone, similar to some apps designed for parents to keep track on their young children.

While the actual smart tag itself is a one=time payment of $19.99, the Pawscout app is available for free in the the Apple App Store (for iPhone users) and the Google Play Store (for Android users).

If your pet gets more than 300 feet away from you, an alert will inform you of this, and informs the community of the app’s local users so they can keep an eye out for Bandit.

Users can create a digital profile for their pup through the app, including photos, owner contact information, vaccination records and notes for any behavioral or medical issues to be aware of.

Through the mapping feature, the Pawscout app can help users discover or share their favorite groomers, veterinarians, and other pet-friendly places to visit.

This product/app combination would work best for dogs living in cities, and is probably well-suited to those living in suburban neighborhoods as well. This would definitely not work for most dogs living in rural areas, unless they were mainly house dogs.

The practice of tagging your dog as a method of identifying your pet is often overlooked, according to Vetstreet.com, as two-thirds of pet owners don’t have ID information on their pets’ collars. Your pet’s name, your phone number and sometimes an address are all necessary information to include on the tag.

For more information, see the Pawscout website.

Would you use a product like this? If you already have, what was your experience like?