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Tracking Domestic Animals?
Solo-Malee asks: "My sister has a blind hunting dog (yes really) and will soon be moving to the wilderness area of Sweden. She is really worried that her dog will run off after the first elk that it sees never to be seen again (since he's already run off numerous times already). Are Slashdot readers aware of any practical inexpensive tracking system that can be applied to domestic animals?"
How exactly does he know he's running after an elk? And how does he know when he's run past it?
the layman's guide to computer science
fifth ask slashdot in a row(!) with seven ask slashdots on the frontpage. slow day, eh?
How does he see the elk? Does he need a seeing-eye human?
Tracking, unfortunately, won't keep your dog from getting hit by a car. It also won't keep you legal if unleashed dogs are against the law (which is quite common in the US, anyway). I would consider an "invisible fence" which is basically an RF proximity sensor on a collar that shocks the dog if it gets too close. They seem to be quite effective and can give the dog a very large area in which to roam. In particular, it makes sense in situations where a backyard-type fence is impractical (such as on a farm), but a border is well-defined by a cattle fence or some such. Here's the cursory google search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=dog+invisible +fence&btnG=Google+Search
Nonperiodic Central Trajectory
Solution: get an elk.
There are 2 types of people in the world, those who find that stupid binary joke funny, and those who don't.
... when you could just stop it from running too far away in the first place.
Have a battery operated unit fixed to the dogs collar that emits a sound wave (where the frequency is painful for the dog to listen too) if the dog gets too far away from a second unit carried by the dogs owner. The greater the distance, the greater the intensity of the sound emmitted.
Dogs are fast learners.
If the dog can't run off, he can't run off and get lost. I'm not trying to be a dick about this, but unless chaining a dog is illegal in her area, your sister should consider the obvious option. Occam's razor, and all. So long as food and water bowls are within easy reach, and kept in the same place, the dog shouldn't have a problem.
"BSD: Free as in speech. Linux: Free as in beer. Windows 10: Free as in herpes." --Man On Pink Corner in #52607549.
This is your best bet, sadly I suspect that the dog is blind because he's old. Sadly they really aren't kidding about the "Can't teach an old dog new tricks" saying, so this won't be easy
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
That may be the keywords for a more extensive google search.
Here is one for 860EUR, there may be cheeper ones. Just make sure your area is covered.
Don't know about the services available in Sweden, but it is also technical feasible to provide a localisation service with a GSM mobile alone.
"Between strong and weak, between rich and poor [...], it is freedom which oppresses and the law which sets free"
...a leash :)
That, or go after those damned dog-seducing Elks. The elk menace must be stopped!
Although to be honest, I'd be very curious to see what the dog's flirtation with large antlered fuzzy creatures of the woodlands leads to in terms of offspring...
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
...Maybe the PR value of owning one of thesemight offset the emotional cost of temporarily losing a dog to some bastard elk gigolo.
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
elk is Cervus elaphus or wapiti or some such beast.
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You're kidding, right?
I only meant whatever the OP was referring to... which was plainly absurd, as he mentions this blind dog running after the first elk it sees... which must imply it never runs away.
the layman's guide to computer science
I recall reading about some controversy about Steve Wozniac's company's tracking product as it might potentially be applied to children, but it claims to be low cost.
http://www.google.com/search?q=pet+gps
that was hard!
rooooar
Seems like one hell of a good troll, and in the Original Story itself.
We have a big fenced-in yard.
Tracking is easy!
My sister has a blind hunting dog (yes really) and will soon be moving to the wilderness area of Sweden. She is really worried that her dog will run off after the first elk that it sees never to be seen again (since he's already run off numerous times already).
It's blind but it's going to run off when it sees an elk? Anyone see an issue here?
-- botsex is {grep;touch;strip;unzip;head;mount}
I've had the same problem playing NetHack. The best option is to use a magic whistle (a blessed eucalyptus leaf will work in a pinch).
If a magic whistle isn't available, then a leash can work well. Failing that, be sure to feed your pet regularly and always carry some tripe. The dog, attracted by the smell, will follow you more closely.
HTH
It's that he's run away.
Buy an Invisible Fence and collar.
Hunters have used radio tracking collars for years to keep "track" of expensive hounds, bird dogs, etc. "Inexpensive" is relative, but figure on approx. $500 U.S.
See some of the brands available at http://www.gundogsupply.com/tracking-collars.html
Ignorance is curable, stupid is forever.
since the state doesen't allow using a chain or even a cage....
This is effective within a 50 foot radius.
For a slightly higher-tech solution, try this or even this.
Somebody get that guy an ambulance!
I'll have to get one of these for me for next weekend:J :www.pdm.com.co/images/Noticias/GPS_Global_Pet_Fin der.jpeg
http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:kfxfFBSmNgc
A blog I run for the wealth
My sister has a blind hunting dog (yes really)
How do you exactly hunt blinds?
No sig
Woz's Wheels of Zeus is for tracking local objects and pets.
It's still vapor, though - you can't buy any products.
How about using a chain?
Yes, I get you, just couldn't resist.
If dog is male and not neutered, suggest getting him a bitch. He'll come home.
If male and neutered, let him chase the elk. When he gets hungry, he'll come home.
Yes, I have a male hunting dog and he still has his nuts and I can swear and testify that there are only 10 things on this dogs mind.
Ranked in order of importance, from his POV.
1 - 6) BITCHES IN HEAT
7)fOOD
8)shredding cats
9)licking his balls
10)getting his chin tickled
There are organizations who track humans who suffer from dementia (alzheimers, paranoia, whatever). And you can call a vet and use google.
It may not be legal to let the dog loose - depends on where your sister will live. In some areas of Swedish Lapland, only the Saami are allowed to lets dogs loose or use motorised vehicles. It's possible that these are relatively small areas, perhaps just the national parks, but it's worth checking if she's up in the north.
This company has also a tracking product that might apply:
http://benefon.com/products/pointer_dog_gps/
Might cost a few hundred euros and requires GPS and especially GSM network coverage.
My sister has a blind hunting dog ... She is really worried that her dog will run off after the first elk that it sees
Her worries are unfounded.
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Ok, now let's ask about a tracking device for my...um...Cat, yes...cat...I want to track my cat in case it runs off chasing Elk.
Obviously, I will need a lighter tracking device than discussed for my dog. It needs to be light enough so my girlfriend..oops..I mean Cat, cannot tell that it is attached to their person...oops...I mean fur.
Also, I want to purchase this device with cash. That's so the police...oops...I mean the Cat Cabal cannot track me down.
Actually... It's stranger than that.
www.dictionary.com
elk
n : large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called elk in Europe and moose in North America [syn: European elk, moose, Alces alces]
wapiti
n. wapiti or wapitis
A large light brown or grayish-brown North American deer (Cervus canadensis) having long, branching antlers. Also called American elk, elk.
moose
n. pl. moose
A hoofed mammal (Alces alces) found in forests of northern North America and in Eurasia and having a broad, pendulous muzzle and large, palmate antlers in the male.
A Møøse once bit my sister ...
No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink".
Ok, ok, I'm sorry =)
That would be hirvi.
I know, terribly important...
We've been putting radio collars on wild animals since forever. Here's an example:t ry/bbear.h tm
www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/tools/telem
Put the collar on an unused fm frequency and you can do the tracking with a cheap consumer grade radio. You can improve everything by using a decent yagi antenna on the receiver.
The commercial units didn't used to be too expensive. You could probably build your own transmitter. The trick is to conserve the battery. Just make it so it transmits only every minute for a few seconds. Google for a simple fm transmitter and a 555 timer. Put them together and you have your radio collar. Also google on "radio amateur" and "transmitter hunt". You could turn finding the dog into a hobby!
1.pound stick into ground
2.tie rope to stick
3.tie rope to dog collar
It doesn't run linux...but it works
The dog will not get lost. Dogs do not get lost. Ever. In all of recorded history, there is not a single uncontested documented instance of a dog getting lost. There are many urban legends about "lost" dogs, but almost all of these, if not just plain made up, are gross overstatements or misunderstandings. Most of them are just the dog's owner/companion freaking out and going into a panic because *they* don't know where the dog is.
Sometimes a dog will stray away from where the dog's owner/companion thinks the dog should be, and that person may not be entirely certain where the dog is, but the dog, although it may be loose and possibly astray, is *not* lost; the dog knows *precisely* where he is, and *exactly* how to get back home; when he's ready, assuming you've made the environment such that home is a place where he wants to go, he'll show up there.
You say it's blind, but you forgot to mention that this particular blind dog is also deaf, cripled, and lame and has had a lobotomy.
The real danger for stray dogs isn't that they won't be able to find their way back home; the danger for stray dogs is that some adverse circumstance will occur and injure the dog while he is out; this is especially likely in an urban setting. The dog is much safer in a rural environment than an urban one.
She should keep the dog indoors or on a leash or rope for a few days at the new place, so that he'll accept it as home and not attempt to get back to the former home. This seldom takes more than a week. Once the dog knows the new place is home, he will not get lost. Even if you shut the dog in the trunk and drive for half an hour, when you let him out, he will be able to find his way back. (Don't actually do this, though; it's cruel, and the dog may not trust you afterward; trunks are no fun whatsoever to ride in.)
Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
With a radio transmitter and gps module you could track your pooch via aprs. There are digipeater frequencies for vhf and hf, which might be of interest if wanderlust strikes.
Ask me about my vow of silence!
Well Sweden is known for having the occasional problem with Trolls, Not to mention other nasties.
Troll [Categories: Nordic folklore, Dungeons & Dragons creatures, Norse mythology, Legendary creatures]
A troll is a member of a fearsome humanoid race from Scandinavian folklore
The mythology of Scandinavia (shared in part by Britain and Germany) until the establishment of Christianity Norse mythology the well-known Scandinavian folk tale Grendel in the poem The legendary hero of an anonymous Old English epic poem composed in the early 8th century; he slays a monster and becomes king but dies fighting a dragon Beowulf is a closely similar creature. The word "Troll" is possibly derived from an old norse word meaning Any art that invokes supernatural power, magic, cf. Swedish "Trolla", Danish "Trylle" (Perform magic tricks).
Trolls in Scandinavian folkloreAccording to a 1908 cyclopedia: "Trolls are Dwarf
A person who is abnormally small Dwarf Northern mythology, living in hills or mounds; they are represented as stumpy, misshapen, and humpbacked, inclined to thieving, and fond of carrying off children or substituting one of their own offspring for that of a human mother. They are called hill-people, and are especially averse to noise, from a recollection of the time when Thor
(Norse mythology) god of thunder and rain and farming; pictured as wielding a hammer emblematic of the thunderbolt; identified with Teutonic Donar Thor used to fling his hammer at them. A Scandinavian kingdom in the eastern part of the Scandinavian Peninsula Sweden there are many places that are named after trolls, such as the town Trollhättan (Troll's hood) and Trollkyrka.
Trolls are one of the most frequent creatures of Scandinavian fairy tales and more common than elves
An acronym for emissions of light and very low frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources; extremely bright extremely short (less than a msec) electrical flashes forming a huge ring (up to 400 km diameter) in the ionosphere
Sorry about the writing. Robot fingers, you know? Cliff Steele in DOOM PATROL #23
There were no updates all day.
If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. - James Madison
Damn, a decent responce, and all I had to do was read through 40-50 crap messages.
next time do not get a collar the dog could chew through do got attach the chain to a stake where the dog can get it to slide off the top.
I'm pretty sure that Sweden is one of those highly advanced countries with tons of social benefits. I don't believe for a minute that they allow the hunting of the blind.
If yougoto any country shows you will find a stand with people who will happily put a microchipinto a dogs ear so it can be tracked and IDed. If it went missing they could track it by the tag and it's cheap and painless.
I like muppets.
But regardless, it would be useful to disambiguate the tasty creature. Since no one bothers to say 'European Elk' or 'American Elk', I propose that the term 'elk' in general be depreciated on both continents and that 'moose' (alces) and 'wapati' (cervus) be used instead where applicable.
This was done with the fish, Dolphin, which is now referred to as Mahi-mahi, as the name Dolphin got it confused with the porpoise-like mammal also called Dolphin.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
That's it, LoJack. Just add a 12V Power source and...
How the hell is it going to see an elk?
You are probably not allowed to let your dog run around in wilderness areas, might it see or be blind, for the sake of wild animals. Your sister will get into trouble when any wildlife ranger person will come across your dog chasing moose, and it will be very lucky not being shot.
A long leach will be the device to go, and if your dog wants to run, find a fenced area, and there will be no problem.
Although he probably means alces alces (European elk or moose) there are wapiti (cervus elaphus) in Sweden. In Swedish, they are called Kronhjort.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=24 7719
I know!! I will develop a software called DogStumbler to track various pets and record their location, signal strength, breed and whether or not they have encryption!
The police used to feed her, play with her etc.
Obviously after a while this meant that, every time she 'escaped', she made a beeline for the police station often arriving there before we even knew she had left.
"Physics is to math as sex is to masturbation." -R. Feynman
If the best plan you can imagine for a dog is chain him to a tree, I can only hope that _you_ have been neutered. Would hate to see more of the ignorant bred.
Res Ipsa Loquitur
Thanks. I should have made the connection myself. Though I didn't, probably for the same reason 14C is 'warm' weather and 58F is 'cold' weather.
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