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Apple's AirTag this week saved a dog that was swept away in California floodwaters, leading rescuers to his location. As reported by ABC7, one-year-old Australian shepherd Seamus fell into fast-moving storm drain after he got away from his owner during a walk.

seamus-the-dog-airtag.jpg

Seamus was swept into a flood control basin and quickly floated away from his owner, but he was eventually able to crawl out of an access tube. As Seamus had an AirTag on his collar, rescuers were able to locate his owners, and his owners were able to track his location.

The drainage network took Seamus approximately a mile away from where he started, and he was stuck at the bottom of the access tube. On its Facebook page, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said that both the Apple AirTag and the conventional ID tag "aided rescuers and owners in tracking the pup and reuniting them."

Apple created AirTags to track items, and the company does not recommend using them for tracking pets, children, or other living creatures because they require a nearby iPhone to be located and do not have their own built-in GPS tracking functionality. That has not stopped many pet owners from using AirTags on their animals, and there are a wide range of collars, harnesses, and other accessories for equipping a pet with an AirTag.

Article Link: AirTag Helps Rescuers Find Dog Lost in California Flood
 
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Why do I never see an article anywhere in the world that says -

Non-Apple brand smartwatch saves life of an elderly man.. or a non-apple tracker lets man track his dog lost in a flood..

these headlines make it look like Apple invented these device categories..
 
In related news, PETA attorneys representing Seamus pro-bono are suing for tracking Seamus without his knowledge or express written consent. They are filing a lawsuit against the owners AND Apple for one ga-zillion dollars... plus 5* Milkbone dog biscuits.

When asked for comment, the canine's attorney said, "All living creatures have the right to privacy or even the right to be stuck in a drain pipe as long as they like or don't like. This is clearly an egregious breach of such rights."

When asked for comment, Apple attorney said, "While we do not comment on pending litigation, did you see the game-changing performance of our new M2 Macs... and all new, magical Home Pods released this week? Order now!!!"

All ;)

*correction, make that 8 Milkbones, as the lawyer wants their cut of those too.
 
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It will be interesting to hear Apple’s response here. They like to pat themselves on the back when their devices save lives, but they’ve been discouraging the use of Airtags for tracking pets. So happy the pup is with its owners!
 
Why do I never see an article anywhere in the world that says -

Non-Apple brand smartwatch saves life of an elderly man.. or a non-apple tracker lets man track his dog lost in a flood..

these headlines make it look like Apple invented these device categories..
Are you suggesting there are other instances of similar things happening but the media isn't covering them equally?
 
Apple's AirTag this week saved a dog that was swept away in California floodwaters, leading rescuers to his location. As reported by ABC7, one-year-old Australian shepherd Seamus fell into fast-moving storm drain after he got away from his owner during a walk. Seamus was swept into a flood control basin and quickly floated away from his owner, but he was eventually able to crawl out of an access tube. As Seamus had an AirTag on his collar, rescuers were able to locate his owners, and his owners were able to track his location.
What a wonderful story to mention. Should be made into a commercial, better use of AirTags.
 
Love this story!

Both our pups have airtags, but for some reason, when they're walked by someone else, their location almost never comes up, even though we live in Brooklyn where there are a TON of iphones around
 
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Why do I never see an article anywhere in the world that says -

Non-Apple brand smartwatch saves life of an elderly man.. or a non-apple tracker lets man track his dog lost in a flood..

these headlines make it look like Apple invented these device categories..
Or how many AirBags saves lifes, compared to AirTags.
Well, just adulations, it’s what the majority of people in here want to hear, so they write about it.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: bayportbob
This was all said about the original HomePod. I got one, and there was nothing Spacial about the audio at all.

Great to hear another story where AirTags helped this way!

Wow! That’s fantastic news. What a great ending 👏🏻🐶🐾

e one on my dog’s collar. While I’ve never needed it
^ Definitely a heart warming story.

More importantly is the likelihood of finding your dog with AirTags is exponentially higher than chip'n the dog since GPS and the likelihood of an iPhone user passing by in range would help immensely.
 
Glad the dog was found, and I've got a tag on mine, but if you watch the video -- it doesn't seem like the tag was a factor at-all in finding the dog, and played a minimal role in reuniting the dog with its owner. They heard the dog barking which is how they initially located it. And the dog had a standard tag, presumably with its owners contact info on it.
 
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