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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 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
... 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.
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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"
...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.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
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.
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.
Sounds like that's their top application for it, along with blind hunting dogs.
Personally, I want this for my car. Not LoJack and all that, just a thing that says, "the car is 25 meters north of here" when I come out of the house in the morning. If wOz can do this on a dog or a child, why don't German luxury cars have this standard? I'm not sure I want OnStar to know where I am at all times, but a short-range where-the-hell-did-I-park dingus would be great.
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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 =)
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.