We have just completed our first (successful) sit and just wondered how everyone feels about being “tracked” by the dog’s tracking tag ? I was very conscious that the dog owners could see exactly where we were all the time during the sit because the dog always came with us. How does this work?
1 Like
I’m not sure which kind of tag you’re thinking of, but I have an Airtag on my Sheltie and am glad that others can see where he is, but they can’t just assume that I am with him. The tag is only good for 25 feet from any iphone.
If you always have the dog with you, it’s a different story. It’s not something that would concern me personally; and in fact I’d think the owners–if they even bothered to look–would be glad their dog was getting out and about.
3 Likes
I have the same here (AirTag) and I’m in complete agreement with you. I also have it so I’m only notified when he’s more than 25 ft away radius (around the block) from home. I have the same AirTag settings for my luggage.
It’s not to track a sitter, it’s to track the dog and make sure he’s safe when he’s away from home. Obviously if I saw my dog went to the park or somewhere different than around the block, while being away, I’d probably like to hear about it from the sitter’s updates anyway, so I wouldn’t worry about it.
To me it’s just another way to track a dog other than being microchipped (which mine also is).
I discovered there was an air tag on the house keys which I knew nothing about
If it’s a GPS collar yes, the owner can see exactly where the dog is and where it has been and by extension where you have been with the dog. My first sit had one of these, plus indoor cameras, before I knew these were against the THS policy. I was hyperaware and uncomfortable.
I would tell the owners you are happy to put the tracking device on the dog when the dog is in the yard/garden or elsewhere on the property on its own but you request that it be off when you are walking the dog in order to comply with THS’s policy that sitters not be observed or surveilled while caring for your pet.
I gave an AirTag to my mom for her birthday because she’s always losing her keys! 
I only have them in my computer bag, my luggage and Bowie. But for him it wasn’t to track anyone, I got it because I’m paranoid for a good reason. My last dog ran away (while on my mom’s watch) and I lost him for an entire day. This was like 15 years ago but I’ll never forget how devastated and stressed I felt.
1 Like
I completely understand people’s desire to have Airtags, however, we recently watched two dogs who wore Airtags, and both dogs slept in the bedroom with us. Randomly and frequently, the Airtags would make a noise which was very annoying. As a light sleeper, this would wake me up throughout the night. I was completely exhausted by the end of this 2 week Sit!!
3 Likes
@PVGemini Imagine the dogs too! If they were woken up several times a night, they must be pretty annoyed too!
4 Likes
@PVGemini i would find that very annoying. Our dog doesn’t wear a collar indoors, as the fur around his neck would get matted. The AirTag is with his harness, which always stays in the pantry closet by the kitchen with his things so no one would hear it. I’m not scared he will run off from our home since he’s afraid of stairs and we have outdoor fence and gates now, but mostly scared of him running off after a squirrel or a bird outside. There’s a way for people to also set their homes as a safe space where the AirTags wouldn’t go off. It’s only when they’re outside of a set radius around the home/block that they would make a sound.
I guess that’s a reasonable ask, but personally would just let the tag stay on the dog and not worry about the HO knowing when and where we go for walks. If the dog gets loose on our watch, we’ll sure be glad of the tag. In fact, makes me wonder about bringing one along to add to the collar…
I have a tag on one of our dogs that has a bar code on it, but we can’t tell where she is unless someone scans the QR code, in which case I will get sent an email with her exact location………
My dog has an airtag on his collar and I remove the collar when he’s in the house or yard. Frankly, I don’t think EMF is a great thing to subject me or my dog to, but when we’re out and about, I want to be able to track him if we get separated for any reason. I assume other dog owners also want to know their dogs are easily found.
I think taking the airtag off the dog when walking destroys the whole point of it–to be able to find the dog if something happens.