Australia’s most famous sausage dog, Valerie, is back in the headlines with a fancy new job title. with Life360 appointing Valerie as its first-ever Chief Escape Officer (CEO). Valerie’s first call of business is launching the new Life360 Pet GPS tracker and pet recovery tools.
This comes after pulling off mission im-paw-sible – surviving more than 500 days on the run on Kangaroo Island – and capturing the hearts of a nation.
New research from family connection and safety app Life360 reveals Australia is home to countless houndinis and meowtlaws with almost half (42%) of cats and dogs having gone missing and 14% being repeat offenders. One in ten (11%) escapes that remains a complete mystery, until now.
The Great Escapes
More than a quarter (27%) of owners say their biggest fear is their pets going missing, but many pets still pull it off, whether it’s darting through doors left ajar (38%), squeezing through gaps (26%), or navigating over and under fences (18%).
Fortunately most furry fugitives don’t wander too far. Almost two thirds (63%) are found within 1km of home, and over a third (37%) are found within the hour. While 33% of owners also suspect their pets have slipped out and back again undetected.
But some escapees have bigger adventures in mind. One in twenty (5%) have travelled more than 5km, while a determined few managed journeys of up to 30km over the course of two weeks. But the wiener takes it all – with Valerie the runaway snag remaining in a league of her own.
Lauren Antonoff, Chief Executive Officer at Life360, commented: “We knew we needed an expert to help us launch our Pet GPS tracker and Valerie’s résumé speaks for itself. Pets are such a huge part of our families – they bring so much joy and we know how devastating it can be when they go missing, so this was the natural next step for Life360.
“Our new tech aims to ensure that members can stay connected to their people, pets, and things, all on one map bringing our beloved pet to the Circle since they’re family too.”
Valerie, Chief Escape Officer at Life360, added: “Woof.”
Lost & Found
When it comes to tracking them down, most pet parents currently rely on family and friends (42%), microchips (24%) and frantic social media callouts (23%). To better help keep wandering four-legged family members safe Life360 has unleashed the ulti-mutt Pet GPS tracker.
With integrated cellular, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth capabilities it keeps Aussies connected to their furrier halves by sharing their real-time location in the Life360 app, alongside other family members and Tile-tagged valuables.
Features include geofencing, escape alerts, and soon, access to a Pet Finder Network allowing users to send Lost Pet Alerts to nearby Life360 members for help rounding up pets on the run.
Coming with a universal collar attachment, built-in safety LED light, water resistance up to one metre – perfect for pups who love a pond – it can last up to 14 days on a single charge, extendable to six months in Reserve Mode.
Valerie’s humans, Georgia Gardner and Joshua Fishlock, said: “After more than 500 days apart, having Valerie home again is the biggest relief. She’s slotted straight back into her life, and is still the same cheeky, curious little dog. These days, it’s about keeping our family together and feeling reassured. Being the first family in Australia to try out Life360’s Pet GPS tracker and app features has given us the peace of mind of knowing where everyone is and having a helping hand in our pockets in case our escape artist goes wandering again.”
Pricing and Availability
Starting today, Life360 Pet GPS is available in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand at Life360.com. While it will retail for AUD $89.99, for a limited time, Life360 Pet GPS will be priced at AUD $3.60 as an introductory offer (plus the price of a Gold or Platinum membership).
Stayed tune because Sime and Coco is testing this one out.
