Backup pet tracking

[thecautioners]

So I guess it’s not exactly recommended to use AirTags to track pets. Who has had success with it? We just took in a formerly outdoor cat and have no plans of letting him back outside on purpose without a leash, but I was wondering if an AirTag might have at least a chance of helping us if he does sneak out, as he is a proud outdoorsman (just not in -35F windchills).

I live in a populated suburban area of Ohio but I don’t know how many of my neighbors have Apple devices. He has a tag and he will be getting microchipped, so I’m not planning on an AirTag being our only safety measure.

How long would I have to be “away” from the AirTag before it would start beeping? Would it beep all day while I’m at work? That’s the only thing holding me back, I wouldn’t want him to beep every time I go to the grocery store or whatever.

After a few days of silence, the owner who left him outside during our arctic blast contacted me and kindly gave me permission to adopt him. He has practically lived in my backyard since spring, and he adores every member of my family, especially my kids. His ears were damaged by frostbite before my neighbor claimed him a few years ago.

 

[velocityg4]

It's a random interval between 8-24 hours. There are proper GPS collars for pets. Get one of those instead. As they are designed for that purpose.

 

[lordhamster]

I'm also in Ohio (Cleveland area). My dog is microchipped, and has an airtag on her collar. The Microchip is only useful if she is lost, found, then taken someplace with a chip reader. The airtag on the other hand is a great way to get an approximate location on her pretty much everywhere there is an iPhone nearby (which is everywhere in Cleveland).

While a dedicated GPS collar for my dog would be best, the airtag is a decent compromise. Doesn't need constant charging, but gives me some peace of mind. It actually helped recently when my dog managed to lock herself in a bathroom in the house. She barked once then not anymore... I used the airtag to hunt her down. I think she was too ashamed of having been caught red handed drinking from the toilet to bark more than once!

As for beeping. Yes, this is an annoyance. I work from home, and/or travel for work. When I travel, my dog's collar will occasionally beep. I may take the speaker out of her airtag for this reason. Apple stubbornly doesn't let family devices reset the anti-stalking timer. Despite the fact I can literally track the precise realtime location of all family devices much more closely than an airtag.

Also, my wife will occasionally get a warning she is being followed by an airtag when the takes the Dog for a walk.