Road Test: Biotraka Aware

Don’t tell anyone, but this also works brilliantly on small children. They tend to tug at the collar at first, though.

Biotraka Aware dog tracker.

What is it? A “pet GPS and fitness tracker”.

Sounds a bit over the top. I’ve only got a goldfish. It’s aimed at dog owners, you fool. This device, which fixes to a collar, pairs with an app on your phone and lets you monitor your mutt’s activity levels. It’ll show his exact location, too.

So it’s for spying on your pet! It’s about “Peace of mind – knowing what they’re up to when you’re not with them”, Biotraka prefers to say.

Vital statistics? It’s the size of a matchbox, waterproof, and charges via a USB. The app displays various activity histories (“run/play”, “walk/low active” and “rest”) as easy-to-read graphics. It’ll also alert you if the pet leaves a defined “safe zone”.

Anything else? Yes, you won’t read this in the instructions, but just between you and me it also works brilliantly on small children. They tend to tug at the collar at first, though.

$200, petbarn.com.au