Canadian musician Jann Arden has always been concerned about losing her dog Midi, but now that she and her business partner Derek Sheldon have invented an innovative pet-tracking device, her fear has subsided.
The new pet-tracking mechanism, the Arden Collar, ensures that any pet adorning the collar could easily be located by its owner within minutes.
After a May 29 discussion with Arden regarding the need to protect pets with the most recent technology, Sheldon, an iOS developer, invented the Arden Collar, a specialty animal collar with a GPS tracker, which connects to the Iridium Satellite Network and works 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, such as the Arden Collar, that is as effective for instantaneously tracking missing pets.
“You can update your contact information on the collar instantly and as often as you’d like,” said Sheldon. “For example, if you are travelling and constantly changing your location throughout the day, you can keep updating your location on the collar.”
“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 piece of mind.
“We hope you don’t ever have to use our product, but chances are you will have to,” said Arden.
“You will know your dog is protected from the North Pole to the South Pole,” said Sheldon. “We are taking technology that is already there and marrying together something that really works.”
Arden asked Bragg Creek veterinarian Dr. Judith Sampson-French to become a partner 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.”
Sampson-French said the collar helps the owner responsible for finding the dog more immediate, thereby shortening retrieval time of lost dogs.
“At least now with this collar, dogs can be found within minutes of going missing,” said Sampson-French. “By having the Arden Collar, owners know really quickly where their pet is and can take an active role in finding them.”
“My job as veterinarian is the health and welfare of animals,” added Sampson-French. “The Arden Collar will enhance the health and welfare of animals and empower pet owners.”
Arden and Sheldon decided that they also needed to invent a collar that could act as a voice for missing pets.
The collar 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 human beings as well, so they invented a bracelet that vulnerable people could also 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.”
Sheldon is also developing a pet resource app called Diffluence that is still in the development phase and will also be funded by the Indiegogo campaign.
“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.”
For more information and to contribute to the Indiegogo fundraising campaign visit Ardencollar.com.
