Dog Collar Attempts To Save Dogs From Rising Temperatures
An advertising executive from Toronto has created a new high-tech gadget that will let dog owners know if their dogs are “too hot.”
A partner for the company, Rethink, Aaron Starkman developed the idea when he ran into a store for what he felt would be a two-minute shopping stop. The lines were backed up, and by the time Starkman came out of the store, his dog had been struggling in the heat.
"I almost was one of those awful people you read about," Starkman shared with the Toronto Star. "Nobody knows it's just a matter of minutes."
Starkman and his Rethink team members designed a prototype dog collar that texts the owner’s cell phone if a dog is in trouble with the heat and if temperatures are rising to dangerous levels. The “Dog Caller” is made from a cell phone SIM card, a temperature-sensitive resistor called a “thermistor”, LEDs, and a coded chip. The company hopes to begin offering the product in 2013 at around a $20 price point.
Due to the number of people who leave their dogs in cars on hot days, the developers of the product aim to help save dogs’ lives with the Dog Caller. However, Starkman did tell one reporter that the product is not meant to give dog owners a license to leave their dogs in vehicles.
"We never ever under any circumstance want anyone leaving a dog in a car," Starkman told the Star, but "if the collar does end up saving a dog in a car, we'll obviously be thrilled in that result."
Rethink has also created a web campaign in conjunction with the Toronto Humane Society called “Doggy Havens,” which lists dog-friendly stores where pets can lounge in air conditioning on hotter days.
Further information about the Dog Caller will be released when available.
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