Feature Stories

Keep Tabs on Your Pooch With Whistle

Posted on by Alex Willen

There are plenty of devices out there to help humans track their physical activity, but what you may not know is that the same technology is out there for your four-legged friends! Whistle is a small device that attaches to your dog’s collar and tracks its activity and location. It’s not just for counting steps, though – if you’ve got an escape artist, it can quite literally be a life saver.

Tony Stark is a wonderful dog who decided that he needed to explore the world, so back in July he managed to escape his boarding facility and went missing for two weeks before he was found. When he was placed in a foster home with our volunteers Jessica and Jose, we put a Whistle on him to make sure he wouldn’t give a repeat performance.

With the Whistle on his collar, Jessica and Jose could always keep tabs on Tony. All they had to do was put in their address, and if Tony ever managed to get out, they’d immediately get notifications from the Whistle app and could track his location in real time. Luckily he hasn’t tried to escape since, but it never hurts to have peace of mind that your pup is safely at home even if you’re not.

notifications about tony not being at home, then returning home safely

Whistle has a wide range of features beyond just tracking location and steps. It allows you to set fitness goals for your pooch, and if you’re not sure how much exercise he needs each day, it can give you recommendations based on his size, age, weight and breed. If life gets hectic and your daily walk gets forgotten in the shuffle, the app will give you gentle reminders to help make sure you’re hitting your goals.

Whistle even monitors your dog’s licking, sleeping and scratching, so you can be proactive if a health issue starts to arise. With a battery life of at least ten days, you also don’t need to worry about constant charging.

You can buy a Whistle at https://shop.whistle.com/, and until October 3, you can get $20 off a Whistle GO with the code GO20. Whistle has a monthly subscription fee of $9.95, which we think is a fair price to pay for peace of mind!

Our intrepid explorer Tony is available for adoption – if you’re interested in meeting him, fill out an application today!

tony stark wearing the Whistle GPS tracker on his collar

Dogs Seeking Humans to Foster

Posted on by Binh Duong

No we didn’t get this backwards. While we are grateful to our fosters and volunteers, let’s be honest…part of the reason why many people choose to foster or volunteer (besides being a good human being and earning good karma points) is because dogs give back that unexplainable, unconditional thing.  It’s not really all that selfless.  If you are a dog person you’ll know exactly what I mean.

San Diego has the largest concentration of military personnel, which means San Diego is home to many people from other parts of the country and most likely missing their homes.

volunteer with pitbull mix
Kaitlin and pittie, Annie

Our volunteer Kaitlin from Wisconsin has been in San Diego since December 2017 and is currently a Navy Operations Specialist. Kaitlin expressed that when she first moved to San Diego she felt homesick and lonely.  Her mom suggested finding a rescue.  Annie (pittie mix, 8 years young), in the pink scarf, had only one prerequisite; that her human share in a bit of fashion sense.  Annie approved and is happy to foster Kaitlin during her stint here in San Diego. 

volunteer with lab mix
Tyler and Labrador/Shar-Pei mix, Pepe

Tyler from New Jersey didn’t grow up with a dog but is unquestionably a dog person. Tyler has been stationed in San Diego for two and half years and plans to go to college and study finance when he completes his tour.  Until then, Pepe (lab/shar-pei mix, approximately 1 year old) certainly doesn’t mind fostering Tyler and being his ‘wing-dog’.  Having a ‘walking dog’ date is the new Tinder for meeting girls. 

volunteer with two lab mixes
Grace and Labrador mixes, Layla and Rudolph

Grace started out as an aviation electrician and is now a Marine barracks manager. Of the four military branches, the Marines has the lowest percentage of women.  It could not have been easy for Grace in this tough male-dominate environment.  She certainly missed her dog Pepper back home in Virginia, so she sought to find a rescue with larger dogs.  Layla (lab/golden retriever mix, 2 years old) in the pink scarf, and Rudolph (lab/dane mix, 2 years old) were looking to help any human but specifically sympathized with shy humans.  Looks like all parties are all smiles.

Hopefully in some small way we (Annie, Pepe, Layla, Rudolph and the rest of the Labs and Friends team) are able to provide a little bit of comfort and support.  Thank you to our service men and women!