Collared, Tagged and Slightly Under Control

We own two French bulldogs, Max and JD. They’re naughty but adorable…basically gremlins with bat ears. They’re also my husband Wayne’s constant companions, especially when food is involved. But as loyal as they are, they’ll take any chance to bolt out the door and explore the world beyond our front yard.

Unfortunately, we live on an incredibly busy street, and there’s no way our pampered pups could survive out there. They're not exactly street-hardened. One of my biggest fears is that Wayne, with this dementia, might accidentally leave the gate open, or a pup could slip out unnoticed from the door.

So, for peace of mind (and not wanting to form any search parties), I scoured the internet for solutions. I finally found a collar with a pocket for an AirTag and a customizable nameplate where I could have our phone number engraved. I ordered two collars and two AirTags…plus an extra AirTag for my husband.

For Wayne’s tracker, I bought a small little lanyard and pulled it through his belt loop. That worked great for a couple months. Eventually, he took the AirTag off and hid it somewhere in the house. I have no clue where. I just know it’s still here because my phone keeps telling me he’s “at home.” 

Thankfully, the dogs can’t take off their collars. So at least I can always track them. And honestly, that along with being microchipped does make me breathe easier. 

I did briefly consider an electric fence, but realized our dogs are just unhinged enough to plow right through it. Plus, our neighbor has one and their dog somehow still ends up at our house. So that was a no.

Now I keep light little leashes clipped to their new collars, just long enough to grab or step on if the pups decided to take advantage of my husband and run for the door.

Most of the time, though, they are snoozing the day away…well, when Wayne isn’t sneaking them snacks, that is.