Dog collar device tracks a pet, talks to owner

Dog owners may soon get closer to their pets courtesy of a wireless dog collar device collecting details of their canine friend's activity, its U.S. makers say. The Whistle collar add-on can record details of different types of activity, resting periods and other information, and push that information to an app on a pet owner's smartphone, Slash Gear reported Wednesday. The Whistle Company of San Francisco says the data can also be stored in the cloud where a timeline of the dog's behavior and routines can be monitored. That data can be shared with a vet to help diagnose any medical issues, Whistle said, and compared with results from similar dogs, to contrast a pet with the "norm" of other animals. The cloud app will also allow owners to share pet photos and anecdotes on social networking sites. The $99.95 waterproof collar add-on can communicate via WiFi or Bluetooth, and a single charge of its battery is good for ten days of use, Whistle said. The current app works on devices running iOS 5.1 and above and Android support will be coming soon, the company said.