This may sound strange, but actually I think it’s a good idea: cell phones for dogs!

Wired News reports on the new cell phones that you attach to your dog’s collar so that you can call and talk to him.

I have heard that dogs love to hear their owner’s voice, even if it is over the phone. This way, you could talk to your dog from time to time while you’re at work, making his day less lonely.

There are also other uses for this phone, explains the article:

The ability to track a lost pet has most dog lovers excited. The PetCell has a “call owner” button in case Rover strays. It also includes assisted GPS, or A-GPS, which works indoors, allowing dog owners to map their pup’s coordinates from any web-enabled device or by dialing a voice-enabled call center.

“When dogs disappear, it’s the first 15 minutes that are the most important,” said San Francisco dog trainer Youngblood Harris. “If your dog runs out of the dog park and you don’t see if he went left or right, (PetCell) would make life a lot easier,” Harris said.

The PetCell will also have an option called GeoFence that will alert owners whenever their dog wanders beyond preset parameters, and built-in temperature sensors to indicate if the dog is too hot or cold.

Additionally, the PetCell will support a small wireless camera, an application Robb believes could be useful in search-and-rescue or bomb-squad missions. But for patrons of doggy day care, it may become the canine equivalent of a nanny cam.

Read more…

Sounds pretty exciting. I wonder if you could train your dog to come inside when you call on the cell phone.

Also, I don’t know if this will work for small dogs. The article mentioned that it was too large for cats, so it probably would be kind of heavy for a small dog.

So, what do you think? Will you be buying your dog a cell phone for Christmas?

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