Why not put AirTag on dog?
Ronaldo Kovacek
2025-06-19 17:15:26
Count answers: 4
One of the biggest concerns with using AirTags on a dog's collar is the risk of it becoming a choking hazard. AirTags are small and lightweight, making them potentially easy for a curious dog to chew or swallow. This poses a significant danger, especially for smaller breeds or puppies who are more prone to exploring with their mouths. If an animal were to swallow the Airtag, it is possible that the battery can become exposed and can cause serious life threatening issues if left in the dog’s stomach. The material of the AirTag casing may not be suitable for prolonged contact with a dog's skin. Constant friction between the AirTag and the dog's collar could lead to skin irritation or discomfort, particularly for dogs with sensitive skin or allergies. AirTags are designed to emit a sound when activated, which could startle or distress a dog, especially if they are sound-sensitive.
Bethel Gleichner
2025-06-13 00:39:08
Count answers: 2
Apple has been clear about whether or not you should use an AirTag to track a pet — and the answer is no. While attaching an AirTag to a pet's collar sounds like a good idea in practice, it would only help find them while inside the home network. If they ran away and got picked up by someone, the person finding the pet would need an updated iPhone or iPad nearby to ping the Find My network. The Wall Street Journal has highlighted stories that exemplify why you shouldn't put an AirTag on your dog's collar. One owner mentioned he had lost an AirTag that he'd previously attached to the collar of his dog Sophie. When he triggered the AirTag sound alert, he tracked the beeping to the stomach of his foster dog, Sassy. Another couple had attached an AirTag to their dog, Rose, who proceeded to chew the device and ingest bits of metal and plastic while they were out of the house. Because AirTags contain batteries, there's a significant risk that they could leak and cause organ damage. The dangers of battery leaks increase if the battery has been damaged by chewing or if it sits in the dog's stomach for a long time. Vets have warned pet owners against using AirTags to keep tabs on their pets.
Brianne Aufderhar
2025-06-02 20:14:48
Count answers: 2
The AirTag will not locate a pet unless there is an Apple device within Bluetooth range, usually about 30 feet. Just another reason why they are not recommended for animals. Based on this article the only drawback is if your pet ingests the AirTag, which can be avoided by having the AirTag secured in the collar and not dangling from it. The microchip only helps if your pet gets turned in to a vet or shelter, whereas if your pet is close to home but lost or stuck somewhere, the AirTag would locate them.
Kayli Jaskolski
2025-06-02 18:38:01
Count answers: 3
AirTags work by relying on the massive number of iPhones out there. They don’t even have their own connection to a mobile phone network. Instead, they rely entirely on any passing iPhone, which they quickly talk to as it passes. The phone has to be within 10 metres, and it’s actually that phone’s location that’s transmitted to you, telling you roughly where your AirTag is. But what if the lost AirTag isn’t in a busy train or restaurant, what if it was in the kind of place dogs get lost sometimes, how quickly would you find it then. It took several hours before we got the first fix on this lost AirTag’s location, and that was just a single one-off fix. There wasn’t another for several more hours. We even discovered that it was taking up to 15 minutes from the time of the fix for it to be reported on our own iPhone. In fact, in an interview with Fast Company, Apple’s VP of Marketing said that AirTag was designed to track items not pets. If people do that, they just have to make sure that their moving pet gets into range of a device in the Find My network so its location can be tracked. But if you ever let your dog off the lead, in fact, if you ever go anywhere that’s further than 10 metres from other people, and if your dog is worth more than £35 to you, you’re going to need a different tracker. You need a purpose-made dog tracker like the PitPat Dog GPS Tracker, with its own built-in satellite receiver and its own independent mobile connection. That way, you’re not relying on other people’s mobile to find your dog.
Aaliyah Buckridge
2025-06-02 18:11:14
Count answers: 6
The company has said explicitly and publicly that AirTags should not be used to track people or pets. Apple probably said this to protect the company from potential legal action. The Bluetooth range is estimated to be only 800 feet, which isn’t big enough to find a lost dog on its own using just your phone. If you live in a lower populated area with spotty cell phone coverage, it’s unlikely that someone else with an iPhone will pass your dog and activate the Lost Mode. If you don’t choose the correct AirTag case for a dog collar, your dog might be able to remove the AirTag or otherwise damage it. You can set up a “separation alert” to go off if your dog leaves the Bluetooth range, but this will happen a lot and the sound can scare your dog. AirTags can only be connected to one Apple ID, so only one family member can see and track the pets at any given time.
Don Hoppe
2025-06-02 16:17:05
Count answers: 3
If AirTags are attached to a pet's collars, there's a chance it could lead to a medical emergency, said Dr. Shannon Vawter, medical director and veterinarian at Thrive Pet Healthcare Wedgewood in Nashville, Tennessee. There's a battery in there, and if the dog or cat ingests this -- which there's several articles and reports in our veterinary magazines where people have cited that this has happened -- then we have to do a surgery called a gastronomy or an enterotomy and go fish that tag out. The battery is dangerous because if it starts to corrode or open up with that acid inside, it'll burn a hole right through their GI tract. Vawter said the emergency surgery to remove the AirTag could range in price between $2,000 and $5,000, adding that dogs are more likely to chew or eat an AirTag, but that cats could also be at risk of doing so. An AirTag has very limited tracking capabilities and accuracy in rural areas, the exact place that you're likely to need it the most, said Maleki Burke, founder of Snootiful Hound, a company that created escape-proof harnesses for sighthounds. Because AirTags depend on nearby Apple devices, Burke said that if your pet is lost in a rural area, the location may not be accurate or available. This is especially problematic if you're trying to track a dog that has wandered far away from populated areas.
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