my office has just received a Press Release from a PR company selling a sort of GPS/tracker for your dog....and advertises it as the perfect way to track your dog if lost or stolen....it attaches to the collar....now am i being stupid in thinking that the thief will just remove it and throw it away??? Wonder how much this useless idea will cost?

I must be on the stupid wagon to.  surely the first thing a thief does is take of any thing that links a dog to its owner.

GPS on the ID chip would be better.

I think I saw a gps chip at Crufts.

Actually I don't think it's a bad idea altogether as far more dogs get lost than stolen. Would be fabulous to be able to hire one when you go on holiday, or the first time you let an older dog (say a rescue) off the lead in an open space :-) Munrogirl could have done with this when lost in the hills, we could have found her and Dorain :-D

I'm sure I read somewhere that it has a limited range (1 mile or something) - although it could have been a different product, but I agree thieves would simply remove it! However if it does have a decent range then it would be good for lost dogs

I thought the same when I read about it. If it's on the collar then not much help for stolen dogs is it. Lost yes, stolen no. If you're dog is prone to going walkabout I could see its use. I'd rather keep my dogs with me though, than rely on GPS to find them.

Anyone remember Tomorrows World?

Years ago I recall they featured a similar product from America called 'Little Buggers' used to track your small children.  My friends mum said she was going to buy one.  It stuck in my mind and took me years to wonder if it was an April Fool!!  Perhaps I should look it up...

No such excuse for this one though Sam!

Biggest problem is reducing the size of the module required to house the electronics and aeriel used for GPRS and GPS tracking systems.

I have a SMS Textracker that I use on my show trolley.  The tracker sends a text to my mobile if it is moved outwith the geofence (radius) that I set up at the show.

My autistic nephew has something like this for when he's taken to crowded places,he has a tendancy to dart off.I also have a friend who looked in to one for her deaf dog,he's darted off a couple of times when doors/gates have been left open and obviously calling him isn't possible.I expect the technology will develop so they can be inserted like microchips eventualy.

[Mod - dont advertise your own product]

For christmas I got my son a tracker for his bike (he builds mountain bikes) it was about the size of a 50p it fit up in the frame, you register the device and if its nicked they can track it on computer. Not GPS as such but if it was small enough it could fit in a collar? was it like that?

Ii think its for dogs that are escape artists or have a habit of disappearing on walks, so you can quickly find them again