Following on from yesterday’s post about the new series I will be doing, today we will be focusing protecting yourself, your family and your pets whilst out and about in the world. I am sorry but this is going to be very long post, in fact the series is going to be rather long, and I have cut it down as much as possible.
With an ever-increasing crime rate one of the biggest has been in pet thefts as the demand for man’s best friend has gone through the roof, this is mainly due to more people working from home and during the lockdown. Due to the high demand the cost of puppies has soared, and new puppies have been unable to meet demand, whilst the shelters have largly been ignored. This has seen gangs transfer from drugs and other crimes over to Pet theft as the laws are not up to the modern standards on what a dog is, from the laws point of view a dog is nothing more than property (no more thought of than a computer or kettle) if stolen, the law is changing, and many parties are working to get the law changed. But until it is changed let’s look at the best way to deter a potential theft as well as introduce some good innovators in the world of pet security.
Cool so now we know what we are talking about, let’s get to it ..
Every Day Carry items (EDC)
So apart from the obvious advice about telling loved ones or friends of where you are going and how long you should be, it is always a good idea to have a walking, going about your business EDC, now we are not saying that you should be doing some sort of Jason Borne type EDC but simple everyday things that could come in handy should the worst happen.
General items
- Wallet and keys (I know bear with me)
- Wallet should have coins and paper money as well as cards just in case, I would recommend no more that £10 in notes and change to be carried at any one time.
- It could also help if you are caught short and need to pay to use the toilet, yes some are paid for and some are free, either way its better than a squat in the bushes
- If you need to buy refreshments for you or your pooch (remember NOT to leave your best friend outside the shop)
- Keys are self-explanatory, I hope but in modern times we do tend to forget things
- Mobile Phone (and if available extra Batteries such as a Mophie)
- A fully charged phone is vital if for any reason if you get into bother, it can be a vital lifeline to family members or the emergency services
- Phones have tracking apps these days such as Apple’s excellent FindMy service which allows you to share your location with other family members and friends within your network
- If you can spring for it use a backup Pay as You Go mobile such as a nightclub phone (any £20 dial/text only non-smartphone will do if for emergencies only where you only need to call or text, but keep it up to date with contacts that you need should the worst happen (I personally have a Sat phone that does calls and texts but gets me the call I need so long as I can see the sky)
- Pocket book and Pens
- For writing notes quickly, if your phone dies or in an emergency your phone may not be the best place to take notes.
- Notice I said pens, personally I would always want to carry multiple pens with me in case one ran out of ink or it got dropped, pens are cheap and readily available. Ghouletech would recommend the refillable type to save on wasted plastics.
- If you are in shock or other heightened states, writing with pen and paper is instinctive whereas a phone may not be (depending how much you are on it)
- Waterless hand wash and face covering
- OK this needs not explaining I hope, I mean we all came through 2020 right?…
- Small waist bag or over shoulder bag
- For those of you that are cautious I would recommend a shoulder bag that can be worn under your outer clothing (think of the man bags that are popular now)
- This is to keep your EDC items in and should be kept stocked up and checked regularly
- A small first aid and sewing kit
- Especially useful in times when you are traveling with your pooch or child, or if you are particularly clumsy (like me).
- Make sure any perishable items within it are kept in date and use the hand steriliser as a wound steriliser (yep its gonna hurt a lot but not as much as an infection)
- Mints/sweets or snacks
- Pick me up if you get lost or hurt whilst walking in unfamiliar or isolated places
- Let’s be honest the odd cheeky sweet is always a good thing, right? (Jellybeans are my favourite for this type of bag, they are flavourful, playful and light to carry)
- Whistle or Panic alarm
- If you need to get attention fast and far reaching a panic alarm or whistle can be a lifesaver.
So for the Wallet, keys and Mobile phone I would keep this in separate zipped pockets either inside your coat or if not possible within your bag of choice, keep these items out of sight as much as possible, Ghouletech would recommend that you do not flash your expensive smart phone about and limit its use, as it distracts you from your surroundings and some phones can single you out as a target. If possible, we would recommend that in your EDC bag you keep an old phone or simple phone with PAYG sim card both charged and topped up as a backup.
EDC with Pooch
In addition, the above, if you are regularly walking your dog you should be mindful of the extra’s you need to carry, all these items are thought of to keep in your main EDC walking bag;
- POO BAGS and dispenser
- It should go without saying, if you would not change your infant child’s nappy then I would suggest you don’t have a dog, it’s the same thing, not only is it unsightly but dangerous to other people’s health especially children.
- Meg Heath Dog Leads sell these in their store here and they can be attached to your EDC bag externally added bonus is that it gives you a torch for those long winter nights.
- It’s a legal requirement to pick up after your dog, and you have no excuse not to.
- An extra Lead (Slip Lead)
- Recommended that this be a slip lead of sorts found here
- If your main lead gets cut or breaks, this gives you a backup to your main lead as a main lead I would recommend a good quality lead by a known brand, especially as the main weakness points on a lead could mean that your dog is no longer tethered to you
- If you come across a stray or lost dog, this gives you an extra lead to be able to deal with that situation
- Travel Water Bowl and Water
- They are cheap, a good one is again available from Meg Heath Dog Leads here
- If you come across a stray the bowl can be used to both give water and provide some of the snacks to at a distance to help build trust. He/she will trust your dog (so long as they are being friendly) but they won’t trust you at first, your dog may have to vouch for you and give you a reference first 😉
- Scooby Snacks
- Keep some fresh snacks with you, this can be useful for a variety of reasons
- Training your dog is important as training your child not to touch the iron but we will get onto that soon enough
- Aids in quicker recall, (it also works for me, if you want be back to you quickly then have a snack ready) if it works on a late thirty’s grown man it will work on your lovable best friend.
General advice
Ok I am mainly focusing on dog or family walking for pleasure, either in a rural countryside setting or the local parks and nature reserves. But this could be adapted to the urban settings. Wear appropriate clothing for the season and your setting, good walking boots or wellies, a coat for the season you are walking in. but this is not the topic of this post, other people know far better than I.
Advice for your personal protection is to let someone know where you are going, have a route or two planned tell you nominated person which of the routes you are taking and how long it should take you, ensure your phone is fully charged and keep this out of sight as a rule, this is to stop you from being distracted.
If this is a route you are walking often, vary the times you are walking the route by around a 10 -15-minute window, this way if someone has been watching you, they won’t get an accurate time on your routine, be aware of any changes to the route as you walk it, make a note if you need. Thieves are generally opportunists and so will be waiting for you to be distracted or cause a distraction to enable them the element of surprise, do not give them a reason to target you, phones whilst safer these days are just as much as a target than anything else, keep it zipped away.
If walking with your dog, use a good quality lead and harness as well as an ID collar use every tech available to you for your pooch for safety. Ensure you are complying with the law by ensuring that your pooch is micro chipped and that the microchip details are up to date.
Technology
Now we get to the best bits, the reason why this blog and website exists Technology, yes, I am a bit of a tech geek that loves my gadgets. But I also love the non tech-based gadgets where a product has been designed to meet a market gap and does it well. Below I will go through some of the tech and its uses and pitfalls, I will try and use two examples of good products, but whilst I have my recommendations it is up to you to decide if they are right for you. Where possible, I will add a link to the product either in Amazon or the Makers direct site.
Tracking Devices
Commercially available software and hardware devices are now ubiquitous. Apple, Google and others have brought to the market both software solutions for your phones and gadgets, but also new hardware. If you are using either of the Apple or Google ecosystems it will be dependent on your personal eco system. With all tracking types of solutions privacy is the biggest issue, I have covered whats available from google and apple as these are the most likely devices people carry. When used to make sure people are OK or to track lost items privacy should not be an issue, BUT when they are abused this treads into privacy violations so make sure if you are setting this up that you and your family are aware, and that you are all in agreement.
Software based
These features are generally built into your phone, laptop or other device, it is a good idea to get familiar with them and use them within your family network, this is especially useful if you have children to be able to know where they are if they are not back within the time they told you they would (if this tech was available when I was a kid I am pretty sure it would have saved me a hell of a lot of trouble with my parents (OK maybe not!))
Apple FindMy
As an all apple user, this is the first thing I setup on all my devices, it has a neat feature for losable items like AirPods and AirTags that it will send you a push notification with the details of the item and the location of the item when last seen, you can also open the app and see all of your devices and the location, as well as remote lock and erase the devices (if stolen this is invaluable)
Pro’s
- Its built into all apple devices.
- Can have a child account so you can control the spending.
- Works with the new AirTag (we get to this later).
- Can share storage and purchases with family members.
- Enable’s family photo library, this is a shared library for your family group.
- Enables almost real time tracking of all your devices, Air Tags and Family members (family location sharing must be setup and configured).
Con’s
- Purchases from the App Store will now come out of the main organises registered account, and it is not easy to change, so if you have separate accounts you have to remind yourself to transfer monies over to balance your books each month (apple please fix this).
- Only Works within the Apple Eco System, this is not a problem if you and your family are all Apple.
- Location sharing used to be a pain in the backside to get working but these days 99.9% of the time it works.
To find out more about Apple FindMy and how to enable it please see these links Apple and for the non Apple page Macrumours. Both links give a good overview and setup instructions
Google Family Link
Not being an Android user other than what is built into the SmartTV’s I had to do my research into this, Personally I have not used an android phone in over 10 years and so this is based on my research.
Pro’s
- Built into the operating system and so part of all Google’s ecosystem
- Not as restrictive as Apples eco-system, works with more devices and third party devices
- Can be shared with an iOS device, this is useful if you are a mixed eco system house
Cons
- Security could be an issue, a report locked himself into a child account and found it lacking in security you can find more details here
- Limited in features compared to Apple or other Apps available
- Not as easy or intuitive to use, this is not for the faint of heart and you will need a good sit down with the instructions of technical help to use.
To find out more about the Google Family link please use Google’s own help site here or pocketlints write uphere, for details of how to share to an iOS device Wondershare has details of this here.
As I said I am not an expert in anyway on the google side of things, this blog is meant to highlight the possibilities using technology you may already have available to you.
Tracking Hardware
With recent advances in hardware tracking, the main players in this arena are going to be Apple and Tile, both have really good eco systems, again we are looking at what is readily available and what I would go for.
Tile tracker
Probably one of the more ubiquitous amongst us all, they are cheap light and have multiple versions, and a FindMy compatible version in the works. You would be hard pressed to not find one that doesn’t fit into your lifestyle
Pro’s
- User-friendly App, designed for the not so technical amongst us as well as having the features we need/want.
- Being a long time product means that the userbase is rather large and increases its chances of being able to track and locate your object.
- Customisation, the app allows you to customise names, images of the device in situ etc so could be a fun afternoon setting them all up
- Siren/buzzer is a sharp piercing noise that can be heard over large distances or from other rooms
- Long battery life
Con’s
- Some of the models do not have a replaceable battery and so become e-waste quickly
- Geofencing is not currently part of this eco-system so if something leaves its designated area then you are not alerted
Overall the Tile Tracker product is a really good eco system and if you choose wisely should have a product for many years to come, I have bought loved ones these for keys and other simple easy to lose items and they worked well. To find out more about them tiles website is here. A trusted review can be found here. Once Tile bring out the FindMy compatible version this will be a game changer for them especially if they can keep the price lower than the Apple AirTags we will be discussing next.
Apple AirTags
New to the game and announced and released in 2020, the apple AirTag became an instant hit with Apple users, I have several located in my rucksack, my spare keys, my main car keys and my within my two main jackets (within the lining) and even though I my car a 2016 Jaguar F-type has a tracker and an almost Realtime tracker within the App for the car, I have one tucked in behind one of the panels an AirTag, to give extra piece of mind adding it to the excellent global network that the Airtags bring
Pro’s
- Upon release they became part of the FindMy network, and were enabled to use any and all Apple devices world wide and pinpoints to aid in tracking your device no matter where you were (people have internationally shipped these by air and tracked the location)
- They have a user replaceable battery with an expected battery life of 1 year, once you pop the cover off you can replace the coin battery with ease
- Can be customised in the app with names, and physically, wether you want them plain, an emoji on them or a short message like your phone number then all good its yours
Con’s
- Expensive, each tag is £29 each or £99 for a pack of 4, if you then wish to add an apple keyring then you are looking at a further £11.95 to £39 depending on your needs (if buying direct from apple third party alternatives are available.
- One size fits all, this is both a con and a pro as Apple only has one size, they are bulky compared to some of Tiles offerings, so this could be a consideration for you
Apple has the largest network on release, as they immediately enabled all iOS and MacOS devices the ability to stealth connected to to aid in the tracking of the AirTags this gives a massive worldwide tracking ability beyond that of Tile. To find out more about apple AirTags click here. To see these being posted across the world click on this link for a YouTube video.
Safety and security for your pooch
Even with the best training and obedience of your best friend things can and do go wrong, with the ever increasing thefts from homes and out whilst walking it is imperative that we look after our fury family members the best way we can, using some of the tracking software and hardware above and products designed specifically for the purpose of anti theft.
Dog Leads
Not the most exiting of items to think about or plan, but the lead is your tether whilst out and about to your dog, wether walking out in the countryside, in parks and nature reserves or in an urban setting, having the right lead that is both comfortable for you and your dog is imperative, I am not a Specialist in this subject but I would highly recommend you speak with Sarah over at Meg Heath Dog Leads, who is not only a great innovator and designer but also cares about the products she sells and your pet more than anyone. You can find Sarah’s website and contact details over at www.megheathdogleads.co.uk where I am sure she would be happy to discuss with you in detail your needs and wants.
In the dog leads world you will find a lot of leads that offer some sort of anti theft deterrent and the major people in this business are
- Meg Heath Dog Leads
- Petloc
- Ginger paws
Ginger paws
Ginger paws is a newcomer to the world of anti-theft products and only offers a single lead, the lead is a bulky rope type lead
Pro’s
- Easy to use as a lead or wrap around belt lead
- Relatively cheap considering this is a bespoke product at £39+postage
- Has locking carabiners to attach to your dog’s harness
- Designed by a professional walker
- Allows hands free walking (if secured around waist)
Con’s
- No cut resistance
- No ISO or strength testing is evident
- Long lead times to get your product of 2-4 weeks
Potential improvements
For this lead I would recommend adding a steel core to the lead that is either ferule clamped or friction welded through the O rings of the Carabiner and handle or add a rope with some cut resistance.
Overall this is a good looking lead but lacks many of the safety features of other leads in this category. It was a designed with a purpose to a certain type of walker and may only fit a small number of peoples requirements.
If you would like to learn more then ginger paws can be found here. And a direct ording link can be found here.
Petloc
Petloc is a weird product and has a lot of downfalls and pitfalls which makes it hard to recommend, this is a steel wire coated in PVC with a combination lock to secure you dog to the collar (also with combination lock) to enable you to Secure your pet outside of shops. That last part grinds my gears as you should NEVER EVER leave your dog unattended outside a shop ever, even with this being a metal cord it can still be cut with the right tools and the combination lock can also be picked within seconds by the right person.
Pro’s
- High security
- Overt in nature deterring opportunistic thieves
Con’s
- Unsafe, if used with the collar this provides a chocking risk if it gets caught or tangled
- Difficult to operate and dangerous in an emergency if used with the collar
- Expensive at full price of the kit these are going for £50
Potential improvements
This is a very good highly overt security product but lacks in many ways due to being dangerous in use, personally I would ditch the anti-cut collar, if this is snagged it is a strangulation risk for your pet, even without the combination lock quick release tabs can get jammed when put under pressure now add to a struggling dog to the mix and you have zero chance of removal and a high chance of a loss of life. The lead itself would lend itself better to a harness that has some form of anti-cut resistance to it, but again would need the fiddly combination box replaced with something else to cater to reactive dogs, the elderly and those with motor skills impairments.
Overall, if you value your safety and the life of your pet this would be discounted from your mind, I only add this here to show you the breadth of tech and innovation’s if you would like to know more then the website can be found here. However, in its current form please do not consider this as a purchase.
Meg Heath Dog Leads
The longest in business and most awarded and renowned small business on this list is Meg Heath Dog Leads. They have been in business for 15 years currently and hand make all the products on its site by hand and by the same person, in Lincolnshire UK (obviously raw materials are sourced either from the UK or Worldwide but that’s the nature of not owning a mill or foundry). Not only has Meg Heath spearheaded and designed several anti-theft leads for use, but she has also designed and makes top quality products from Head Collars, Collarsand more. You can also call and order if you like especially useful if you want a more bespoke item, made with top quality sourced materials. as an added side not ask about the robustness of the Brass fittings over nickel.
Pro’s
- Multiple designs available, from the Theft deterrent range, to the Stealth leads makes getting the lead that’s right for you easy
- Price range is reasonable from a starting point of £19.99 to £38.99 you are bound to find one in your price range
- Customisable bespoke design
- Some orders can be embroidered with key information
- Has been safety tested with weight ratings
- Faster than average service with next day an option on most orders
- Backed by a lifetime stitching guarantee, this not mentioned on any other site and a true testament to how much faith Meg Heath Dog Leads has in its products
- Telephone and email support
Cons
- Dizzying array of products, you could get lost in the options (help is at hand with a quick call)
- You could empty your wallet pampering your pooch here.
Potential improvements
So if you can’t tell I really like the array of products here and the company overall, however with one of the products I would like to point out that, I can foresee some problems with the Stealth range of product found here. This has a dual wire down either side of the lead, and the ends are not secured in a very good fashion and could do with being either ferule clamped or friction welded together to create a continuous loop at both the handle and the lead end, this would mean that the wire would could not be pulled free of the webbing if the lead was cut, remember the webbing is cut resistant not proof, adding this option would make this a perfect lead that is both classy, classic and chic without showing off its true powers.
Overall, I love this companies’ dedication and vision and is my biggest recommendation as a business in the prevention of Dog Thefts. It was hard to find the cons for this company or its products and had to nit-pick. If you would like more information, then please head over here. Or search megheath69 in google. As a disclaimer to this, Sarah the founder and Owner of Meg Heath Dog Leads is an ex-partner of mine and so this should be taking into consideration (however being an ex and still endorsing should tell you something).
Collars
Having a good quality recognised brand, collar is a must, it’s a safety item after all, but also a way to have easy to read information on such as an ID tag or a pet tracker, however I would avoid any anti-cut ones, some are extremely dangerous and if caught could mean a potential fatality as the petloc ons, but also even with clip buckles if they are under tension or plugged with debris could mean that it is hard or even impossible to remove in an emergency situation. Some of these anti theft collars have D rings either side of the buckle meaning you would need to remove the lead to open the collar meaning you would need to remove the tether to free the collar.
We would personally recommend a good quality collar from Ancol, Pets at home or the Breakaway ID collar from Meg Heath found here, and use a quality anti-theft dog harness with a pouch or padding to add one of the hardware trackers from above into.
Harnesses
Having a good quality recognised brand, collar is a must, it’s a safety item after all, but also a way to have easy to read information on such as an ID tag or a pet tracker, For this device I would pick a good brand and with the addition of padding or a pocket to hide an additional tracker such as a tile or Apple AirTag. If Meg Heath updated its smarter Marty Secure Harness (Here) with some padded areas or a pouch for a tacker it would make the perfect harness.
Summary
Told you this was going to be a long post and phew my fingers have had a workout today. The above is meant for informational purposes only and as an intellectual thought invoker for debate and discussion as well as showing off some of the tech and innovations not normally spoken about on this page. It does make a good change to not just be talking about computers but also my other skills and hobbies as well. Thanks for getting this far.
To add to this, I would like to take the time to say that the products above are in no way perfect and should be used as complimentary devices to good training and obedience lessons for both you the owner and your pooch.
Finally after previously working in rescue Set would highly recommend that you rescue rather than purchase your next pooch. Many dogs are in rescue for many reasons but saving them from the pound is still a life saved for both of you. I would also highly implore you to give generously to your local small rescue centres who need this more than the larger ones.
Until Next week, I have decided due to the length of these posts they will be weekly, but don’t worry I will fill in with some shorter tech computers based blogs.
PLEASE NOTE: in my research for this post I found some copy cat leads to the IPO protected designs of Meg Heath Dog Leads, these are single core wired and would not offer any safety for your pooch https://klassy-k9.co.uk/shop/ols/categories/alarms—dog-theft-prevention is one such example, please only buy from responsible and trusted suppliers.