Monday, June 30, 2003		Feature

Who let the dogs out!

Labrador retriever Momo shows off a mobile satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) dog-tracking device attached to her harness at a demonstration in Tokyo. — Reuters photo

SCARED of losing your pooch? Japan’s largest home and office security provider Secom Co Ltd thinks it can offer the paranoid pet owner a little peace of mind.

Secom said it plans to unleash a new service later this month to track missing dogs, using satellite-based global positioning systems (GPS) and mobile phone networks.

Owners can place a sensor — which Secom said is the world’s smallest and lightest mobile GPS terminal at 48 grams (1.7 ounces) — around the dog’s neck in a small pouch or on its back using a full-body harness.

The company said the sensor might be too heavy for small dogs and cats.

Dog owners can locate their missing pet within 50 metres (164 feet) on a Web. site by typing in a username and password or by placing a call to the Secom phone centre.

The technology used by Secom is an extension of a similar service offered since April 2001 for tracking young children, the elderly and missing automobiles.

Secom aims to bite into the lucrative accessories’ market catering to Japan’s 9.5 million dogs and 7.1 million cats.

Tokyo-based toy maker Takara Co Ltd. has sold about 3,00,000 dog "translation" devices called the "Bowlingual" in Japan and plans to launch an English-language product in the U.S. market during the summer for about $120.

Secom’s service will carry a 5,000-yen ($43) registration fee and a monthly fee of 800 yen. Each call to the Secom centre will cost the dog owner 200 yen.

Secom said it aims to register about 10,000 canines by the end of the business year in March at a pace of about 1,000 dogs a month.