Latest news with #Tractive
Engadget
28-07-2025
- Business
- Engadget
Whistle pet trackers are shutting down next month
Whistle, a subsidiary of Mars that makes pet trackers, has announced that it's being acquired by Tractive. As part of the acquisition, Whistle trackers will stop working, but Tractive is offering to replace those trackers for free for a limited time. The official shutdown date for Whistle's pet trackers is August 31, 2025. Users will be able to request a replacement tracker until September 30, 2025 by providing their tracker's serial number and then choosing a new Tractive tracker. Tractive will also credit pre-paid Whistle subscriptions to new Tractive accounts, and give anyone with a Whistle tracker without an active subscription two months of a Tractive subscription for free. Whistle's devices, like the Whistle Go Explore or Whistle Fit, focused on using GPS, Wi-Fi, and AT&T's network to keep tabs on the whereabouts of your dogs and cats. Tractive goes further by offering similar tracking features alongside wearable-style health monitoring. If you pay for the company's subscription — a Basic plan gets you all the most important features for $108 per year — you'll be able to see your dog's heart rate, respiratory rate and track if it's barking more than usual. If you're willing to pay even more, Tractive offers a Premium plan for $120 per year that unlocks things like "worldwide coverage" for its trackers and the ability export the GPS data your tracker collects. It's annoying to have to claim a new tracker and transfer accounts, but as far as acquisitions go, this seems like a best-case scenario.
The Verge
28-07-2025
- Business
- The Verge
Your Whistle pet tracker will stop working next month
Tractive, an Austrian company that makes smart location and activity trackers for dogs and cats, is expanding its presence in the US by acquiring a competitor, Whistle, from Mars Petcare. As a result of the acquisition, the Whistle platform is being shut down and its pet tracking devices will stop working on August 31st, 2025. Existing Whistle customers can get a free Tractive tracker as a replacement, while remaining subscriptions 'will transfer to your new Tractive device,' according to the Tractive website. The free replacement devices will only be available until September 30th, 2025 and will require Whistle users to register on Tractive's platform through its website, select a new Tractive subscription, and provide the serial number of their current Whistle tracker. Tractive is also honoring remaining Whistle plans but will be adding the remaining time to new Tractive subscriptions. According to an FAQ the company shared about the acquisition, if you have over two months remaining on an active Whistle plan, your remaining subscription time will be transferred to your new Tractive plan and you won't be charged immediately. If there's less than two months remaining, you'll need to pay for a new Tractive plan at sign up but you'll get two free months of service (no matter how much time you have left) added automatically. The company's Basic subscription plan starts at $108 if you subscribe for just one year, but a two year plan is discounted to $144. That includes GPS location tracking, heart and respiratory rate monitoring, bark tracking, virtual fences and escape alerts, and activity and sleep monitoring. The pricier Premium plan is $120 for one year, $168 for two years, or $300 for five years and adds features like family sharing so additional people can track a pet, worldwide cellular coverage, year long location history, and the option to export the GPS data. Although remaining Whistle subscriptions are being honored, Whistle device warranties are not. When the trackers are shut down at the end of August they will no longer be supported. However, the free replacement devices that Tractive is offering will come with their own two year warranties. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Andrew Liszewski Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gadgets Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech
National Post
28-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
Tractive Acquires Whistle from Mars Petcare to Accelerate Leadership in Global Pet Tech Market
Strategic Acquisition Expands U.S. Market Presence and Brings Advanced Wellness Technology to Global Pet Parent Community Article content PASCHING, Austria & SEATTLE — Tractive, the global leader in GPS tracking and pet health insights, today announced it has acquired Whistle, the connected pet wearable brand owned by Mars Petcare. This strategic acquisition adds Whistle's customer base and technology assets to Tractive, reinforcing its leadership in the fast-growing pet tech market. Founded in Austria in 2012, Tractive has established itself as the world's leading provider of smart GPS and health trackers for pets, serving over 1.4 million active users worldwide with millions of devices sold globally. Article content Now, by joining forces, we're combining the strengths of two market leaders to reinforce Tractive's global leadership and accelerate our mission to improve pet safety and health worldwide. Article content Whistle customers will have the option to transition to Tractive's highly rated platform, named #1 by Consumer Reports and recognized as the top pet tracker on Amazon and top pick by The New York Times Wirecutter. The move gives Whistle users access to Tractive's latest innovations, including resting heart rate and respiratory rate monitoring, a first in the pet GPS and health tracking category. Article content 'This acquisition is a defining moment for Tractive,' said Michael Hurnaus, CEO and co-founder of Tractive. 'It strengthens our U.S. footprint, scales our customer base, and allows us to bring cutting-edge wellness technology to even more pet parents around the world. In the United States, Whistle is recognized as the original pioneer in pet tracking and activity monitoring. Since 2013, Tractive and Whistle have been innovating in parallel, Tractive in Europe and Whistle in the U.S., shaping the future of pet tracking and wellness. Now, by joining forces, we're combining the strengths of two market leaders to reinforce Tractive's global leadership and accelerate our mission to improve pet safety and health worldwide.' Article content Tractive's smart trackers enable pet owners to locate their animals in real time and monitor comprehensive health metrics including activity, sleep, barking behavior, resting heart rate, and respiratory rate, with millions of health data points analyzed daily to generate valuable insights that ensure safety, well-being, and peace of mind for pet owners across North America and Europe. Article content With the pet industry, and especially connected pet care, growing much faster than overall consumer spending, Tractive is uniquely positioned to lead the future of pet wellness and tracking globally. Its devices offer long battery life, live GPS, health alerts, and now vital sign monitoring—delivered through a seamless subscription model across more than 175 countries. Article content Tractive is the global leader in health monitoring and GPS tracking for dogs and cats, on a mission to help pet parents keep their pets safe, healthy, and happy. Trusted by 1.4 million active users worldwide, Tractive is transforming pet care through data-driven health insights and innovative technology. Headquartered in Austria with offices in the U.S. and Germany, Tractive works with all major cellular providers across North America and Europe to ensure best-in-class coverage wherever pets roam. Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contacts: Article content Andrew Bleiman, EVP Tractive North America Article content Article content
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dog Who Went Missing During Texas Flooding Found Trapped, But Alive, Thanks to GPS Collar
A woman's Fourth of July trip to Colorado took an intense and overwhelming turn when she learned that her Texas ranch, which backs up to the Medina River, was being inundated with floodwaters, and her dog, Ziva, was missing. Erin Doguet departed for her trip on July 3, leaving the care of her ranch and its over 200 animals to her sister Shannon and a pet sitter, Taelyn. Doguet's working livestock guardian dogs — an 8-year-old Turkish Kangal, Ziva, and a 2-year-old Central Asian Shepherd, Una — were also assisting with caring for the ranch. On July 4, as months' worth of rain started to soak and flood the area surrounding her ranch, Doguet learned Ziva had disappeared. "I left on vacation to Colorado, 1500 miles away. My pet sitter was caring for my ranch and animals while I was gone. Ziva took off after a predator or possibly also spooked by the big storm, causing her to end up on the back section of the ranch, which is bordered by the Medina River. As she crossed the river, the flood waters rose swiftly, trapping her," Doguet tells PEOPLE about what happened to the dog on July 4. Thankfully, Doguet had equipped both of her livestock guardian dogs with Tractive GPS collars long before her trip to Colorado. The collars allowed her to track her dogs' whereabouts while they were out working on the ranch. So when Ziva disappeared during Texas' catastrophic floods, Doguet's sister and pet sitter didn't know the dog's location, but Doguet in Colorado did. "While I was away, I was tracking Ziva on the Tractive app, helping guide Shannon and Taelyn to her. I shared Ziva's tracker location and access to the app with Shannon so she could track her as well on the ground. The app worked flawlessly in guiding us to her location," Doguet shares. Once Shannon and Taelyn reached the spot indicated by Ziva's collar, they still couldn't see the dog. The Tractive app's option to play a sound from the collar eventually led Shannon to Ziva, who was stuck in a flooded gully and hard to see. "Ziva was found trapped in a flooded gully along the flooded Medina River. The roaring river blocked any escape back home, and the three other sides were too steep and slick for her to climb out on her own," Doguet says of the situation. When Shannon spotted the dog alive and waiting for rescue, she told her sister right away. "I burst into tears knowing they found her alive! When the collar kept reporting her same location for hours on the river, I feared she was dead," the pet parent says. Altogether, Ziva spent about 16 hours stuck, alone and confused, but ultimately survived the ordeal with little injury. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "Ziva was so exhausted that she didn't have much strength to help Shannon and Taelyn pull her out. Ziva weighs 120 pounds, and my sister stated she was so tired. She was just dead weight. Once home, she guzzled water and slept for the next 12 hours. She was physically unharmed," Doguet summarizes. To learn how to help support the victims and recovery efforts from the Texas floods, click here. Read the original article on People
Newsweek
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Dog Plots His Great Escape Without Siblings, Pet Cam Captures It All
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. They say three's a crowd, and one Italian greyhound was determined to prove it. In a viral video capturing his ingenious escape, the crafty pup decides he has had enough of sharing space with his two siblings and hatches a plan to break free. Home-camera footage has captured the moment Ace managed to open the baby gate locking him and his two siblings in. They then think they have won the jackpot and can follow suit, but he turns around to lock the gate behind him. The hilarious scene shared by owner Heather House (@heatheratkinshouse) from Kentucky has over 550,500 views since it was posted on July 10. Newsweek discussed the clip captioned, "I did this for me, not us"—Ace (probably)" with canine behavior expert Dr. Emma Scales-Theobald. Stock image: A greyhound stands behind a gate. Stock image: A greyhound stands behind a gate. koufax73/iStock / Getty Images Plus Scales-Theobald said: "It is important to ensure they don't want to escape too. Often, dogs try to escape when home alone because they're bored or because they have separation anxiety." 5 Tips To Prevent Your Dog From Escaping Scales-Theobald, who is also a nutrition consultant at Pooch & Mutt, has shared her top five tips to keep a dog's mind active and stress-free: Provide them with enrichment toys to keep them occupied and calmer. These include snuffle mats/balls, long-lasting chews from Pooch & Mutt, slow feeders, puzzle feeders and lick mats. Give them a long walk first if possible, so they'll be more tired when left. Make it a relaxing environment. Put on some classical music or the TV to drown out outside distractions and help calm them. Make sure they don't have access to windows or close curtains/blinds if they tend to bark at things outside. Use calming aids to help them relax. Items like calming food and treats like Pooch & Mutt's range, calming diffusers and calming collars can help them from the inside out. Use some nifty technology to keep an eye on them. Some canine "nanny cameras" use AI to notify you what your dog is doing and can let you speak to them through the camera. Additionally, some GPS devices can help you keep an eye on where your dog is, and you can create a virtual fence, using Tractive for example, to notify you if your dog has escaped. TikTok Reacts People have flocked to the comments section to write what they believe Ace is thinking. "Since y'all didn't want to help, STAY here" said one user, and another wrote: "sorry pals I'm on a solo mission." "He said, I know how to behave. Y'all don't," wrote a third user, and a fourth added: "mom said you can't come in here. she wasn't talking to me though." A fifth commenter posted: "I wouldn't have believed you if it wasn't for the camera." Newsweek reached out to @heatheratkinshouse for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
