The AirTag It is a very good option to locate objects if you have an iPhone and, apparently, also to find your dog, despite the fact that Apple does not recommend placing this device on pets. Firefighters in San Bernardino, a city in California, United States, have been able to save the life of an Australian shepherd named Seamus when locating him in a drain after he was washed away by heavy rains.
The one-year-old dog, who had an AirTag attached to his collar, was out walking with his owner when he ran away and, due to heavy rains, he fell into the drain that dragged him more than 1 kilometer away. The pet, luckily, was able to take refuge in an adjacent sewer, but its owner was unable to locate it.
Moments after Seamus was washed over by the strong current, the emergency service received a call from an employee who worked in a nearby store. He claimed to have heard a dog barking down the canal and, approaching, saw that he was floating down the drain. Firefighters were able to successfully save the dog, and claim in a post on his Facebook profile that he emerged unharmed and “in good spirits”, and that the mascot “it was equipped with an Apple AirTag and a conventional ID tag who helped rescuers and owners locate the pup and reunite them.”
Why doesn’t Apple recommend using an AirTag on pets?
Now, why doesn’t Apple recommend using an AirTag on pets despite the usefulness of this accessory? Although the AirTag is an excellent device to be able to locate objects, including it in a companion animal has a drawback; these are constantly on the move and can get away from Apple’s ‘Search Network’.
For example, if we lose some keys in a cafeteria, it is very likely that we will be able to locate them thanks to the fact that a nearby iPhone has sent the last location to our iPhone. Unless someone takes them, the keys are not going to move, so we can go and retrieve them. A dog, on the other hand, can move immediately after the iPhone sends the location to the owner or even access remote areas.
In fact, Kaiann Drance, vice president of worldwide iPhone product marketing, told iMore that if users decide to place an AirTag on their pet, “just make sure your pet on the go is within range of a device on the Find My network so your location can be tracked.”