GPS collars makes finding lost pets easier

ATHERTON, Calif. (KGO) -- Pet owners who lose their animals may first panic, then begin the search by posting signs with a picture of their lost pet, scouring the neighborhood and checking shelters, but now there is a computerized way to find a missing pet.

The same technology people use to find a lost iPhone, wallet, even lost suitcases can now be used to find a lost animal, all it takes is a collar fitted with GPS

The Brown family of Atherton love their big dog Maho, a mixed breed they adopted last year.

"He's sort of a crazy dog," dog owner Jenny Redo said. "He's all puppy, but a very large puppy."

Maho is known for playing hard, leaping in the air, determined to chase down a ball. He's also known for his tendency to escape.

"He's curious and likes to run around and he grew up a stray, so he's not really used to fences and staying in one place," Kevin Brown said. "We have to go and run after him, find him, hunt him down."

It meant scouring the neighborhood sometimes for hours hoping he was safe.

"Because there's traffic outside, he probably doesn't know what to do around cars," Brown said. "In two minutes he could run a quarter mile."

They found him once in a schoolyard, another time on a UPS truck. But now, instead of searching on foot, the family uses a Gibi GPS tracker that snaps onto his collar.

"You just go on the website, and or on your phone, and it shows a dot of where he is," Redo said.

If the dog wanders out of a safe zone, the GPS tracker texts an alert. The dog's location shows up on the Gibi website and a mobile app.

The family shows how it works without letting Maho actually run free. Family members took him for a walk and others try to find him using the app.

They follow the dot on the screen and two minutes later, no sighting yet.

Kevin stops to update their location, and then they're off again. After a quick U-turn, they see a neighbor, but not Maho, at least, not yet. Moments later, a happy reunion. In all, it took about six minutes of driving to track them down. The website announcing Maho is home.

"So many other times dogs get lost and they don't make it home," Brown said. "They are part of the family and we want to make sure we keep them safe."

The Gibi dog tracker sells for $130 at Walmart or Amazon.com It also requires a service contract for the online tracking that costs $9.99 per month, or $99 per year.