CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Pet owners love to party with their pets, but on holidays like the upcoming 4th of July, pets can get frightened by fireworks, causing them to run away.
“More pets go missing on the 4th of July than on any other day of the year,” said Andrea Chavez, founder of Pawscout. “They apparently believe they're being harmed or in danger, so they tend to take off.”
Most pets are found after 30 days, according to petFBI.org.
But what if you could find your pet in a matter of hours?
That's what Chavez aims to make possible.
“I have 3 dogs and I just adore them, so I wanted to pass on my love of tech and animals into this venture,” said Chavez.
The Pawscout tag is smart phone compatible, it tracks your pets walking distance and you can see where you pet is located on a live map, as long as they're within 300 feet.
A virtual leash on the app also tells owners if their pet is starting to travel outside of its designated area, like their house or yard.
“In addition, if your pet is wearing one of our dog tags comes within 300 feet of anyone with the Pawscout app you receive an alert,” said Chavez. “So if your pet does go missing you can form a little search crew and go out with the app and find them radar style.”
The app does not have GPS, Chavez says the more people in your community that have the app, the safer your pet can be.
But to play it safe this time of year, Chavez recommends putting your dog away.
“Keep them indoors keep, them crated for this one day of the year they're better off in a quiet cozy nook,” said Chavez.
