I don’t understand how abandoning dogs inside a closed house without food or needed meds was either appropriate or reasonable. That’s a very disturbing way to retaliate against fools at the expense of their pets.
They were right to be outraged (as were you with their hidden cameras).
Seems like you’ll do what you want, so you’re risking that another sitter might decide as you did, to stop feeding your dog, stop walking, etc., and just quit the sit if they have a problem with the tracker.
If I were in your shoes, I’d declare the tracker upfront and not risk it. That way, folks who want to opt in can. There are sitters who won’t care. It’s in your and your dog’s interest to match with them.
Certainly your choice but you may want to consider at mentioning the brand so sitters can at least look it up ahead of time.
Most people assume dogs wear trackers for off leash hikes but would be surprised to learn when arriving to the sit that it was worn all the time.
I will, and if they ask for access to it, I would happily give it to them so they could see his insights and track him too.
I agree with others that this should clearly be disclosed in your listing. I don’t mind the kind of information that device gives just as I don’t mind outside cameras when they are disclosed. I always keep my part of the agreement thoroughly.
Whether I would apply or accept a sit with such device would depend on the tone of the listing, previous reviews both ways and how the video chat goes if I get that far.
If I had a similar, equally desirable sit, I probably wouldn’t apply even if the tone is nice.
The problem for me is that I don’t really trust all the info those devices provide. Should there be some kind of misfunction, I could be held accountable for something that I am not responsible for.
I was recently given a smart watch and I accepted it out of politeness. I tried it for a week. The info about sleeping times and other info was wrong quite often.
A friend of mine laughs that I immediately turned off or removed all the health tracking features when I got a smart watch. I didn’t get it for that.
I’ve only encountered a GPS tracker once, on an outdoor cat which lived next to a very busy arterial road. Quite apart from the fact I had a daily heart-attack seeing on the app how near he was getting to the traffic, the tracker was a vast box slung round his neck. I failed to see how it was worth stressing him and risking his physical safety that way, just so the HO, two continents away, could know that he was about to go under a juggernaut.
Nope. Don’t like ‘em. At least, for cats.
I understand that trackers can have inconsistencies. I used a FitBark tracker on my dog before switching to Tractive, which has been far more reliable. When I was away, FitBark frequently sent inaccurate notifications. I’ve had the Tractive device on my dog for 5 weeks now and have experienced very few inaccuracies. It even tracks his heart rate accurately, which I confirmed with my vet when I took my dog in. I can also see exactly where he is in the house when he’s wearing it. I’m seeing that most sitters responding to this thread want to know whether devices like this are on dogs. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ASKING HOMEOWNERS BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO SIT. These trackers are the next up-and-coming thing, and homeowners (myself included at first) will not always disclose them unless directly asked.
Hi, @GoodHomeOwner ; I’m glad it’s working well for you. That said, I just came from a sit where they used Tractive. I can’t tell you the number of times it gave false warnings that the dog had left the fence perimeter when it hadn’t. At least once or twice a day, even when the dog was sitting in front of me in the living room! I was starting to worry the owners would think I wasn’t keeping an eye of her, but then they told me they experience periodic false reports as well, & thought it was due to comms issues since they live on the side of a mountain with spotty cell & satellite service.
So, just something for sitters & owners to be aware of. 
I did think it was entertaining to view the pup’s histograph and watch his yard-zoomies for the day, though! 
That’s good to know, especially with me leaving soon. I’m pretty hands-off with my sitters and don’t check in unless they message me first, even if the tracker shows brief inaccuracies (but I’ve only experienced this 4 times in the past 5 weeks). I appreciate you sharing your experience! Do you know which Tractive version was on that dog? Mine is the DOG 6, and the battery seems to last about 4-5 days which isn’t long. My incoming sitter said she’d charge it when it gets low. Hopefully you didn’t have to charge the Tractive to often!
Good question about the version! I didn’t notice, tbh, but I think it must have been a much older one…I had to charge it at least every 2 days. (Same with another on a different sit, but that one didn’t use the fencing boundaries; the Host only wanted it in case their newer dog got off-leash, so we could track & find him.)
Sounds like yours is working a bit better.
I’m currently on a Sit with the cats air tagged and GPS tracked w/ collar, along with the Neighbors’ cats!
In specific, this gated community of Cat carers, have a system setup where the Neighbor releases their cats in the evening and then the other House is notified and has their cats released in the mornings. This system has helped prevent cat break outs and aggression, and has enabled the cats to freely roam the backyard and inner gated community courtyard with low friction.
The Pros..:
On one hand- it’s innovative, where the AI tracking app. will sound a Christmas jingle and Branch, has actually picked up on the GPS Tracking’s sound, and will be notified to / come home.
The app.’s GPS map also has the ability to show you how far the cats are roaming and at what hour they were potentially fence hopping.
The Cons..
As a Sitter and also as someone growing in Animal Knowledge and training, it DOES take a lot of preparation beforehand. And it is Best to have all this communicated and setup for the Sitter beforehand. Aka: have clearly typed instructions, demonstration of how the tracker is charged, what the app. is and how to have that properly setup and installed, when the tracker should be charged and taken off the cat, what routes and areas are okay for the cats and sitter to roam.
My current experience on THS:
When I first arrived to the house, I immediately thought it was ok to take off the tracker cuz I noticed it was not charged.
The home owner immediately panicked and instructed I only take off the tracker when the cats were back home at a certain hour.
I felt some kind of friction in the air as the Neighbor also seemed a bit panicked and was instructing different areas of the house where I should make sure windows are locked so cats wouldn’t slip out.
Overtime- we worked it out.
As someone who has been now growing on her 3rd year in professional pet sitting and also gaining certification in animal knowledge & training., I def. have GRown over time to air on the side of TRUSTING cats to come home. And InSTILLING the Belief that if I am building a loving, force-free bond to an animal - it is MUCH more likely to warm up to me- and want to come home.
(Vs. picking up a cat when it clearly looks agitated or forcing a cat to come to you)..
As a sitter, I have witnessed and grown accustomed to both sides of the “Anxious Pet Parent” and the more “Assured/Trusting Pet Parent” - where one is less trusting that their cat will come home and while the other— KNOWS & TRUST that their cat will come back home— and isn’t fretting.
Of course this can only happen, with experience over time. And this goes for the sitter as well.
At my last sit in Orinda— it was proved to me- that when a cat is conditioned to be able to freely roam far— yet still be able to come home to a loving, safe environment- provided with feed, warmth, shelter, and love — it BUILDS their internal & instinctive trust muscle AND adventurous side, as well.
(I was able to walk a cat named Ziggy, offleash and freely, alongside a Senior dog, Roxy). (Isn’t that so Cool?!)
I feel geography also matters a lot here for the safety of certain pets and Pet Parents.
That last sit with Ziggy, Raven, and Roxy had an expansive backyard / nature-like area in the hills of Orinda (we’re talking farmlike areas, lush forest areas, and wine vineyards) vs. at my current sit - in SF - it’s an urban environment with more busy streets, cars, and tourists. There is much less a “free roaming” friendly environment for the cats and for the ease of mind of pet parents.
Def. at the end of day tho— it’s about building bonds with the animals, and with the communication & Trust between home owners and the Sitters
Cheers to the New Year!