"Fido Phone Home!"

Breakthroughs in Canine Communication

Our lives have gone mobile; you can reach almost anyone with the push of a button… but your pets? You can now thanks to a canine invention contest in Canada that inspired William Franzin to create a mobile communication device for Fido. The PetSafe Voice Trainer functions much like a walkie-talkie and allows parents to give commands to their furry friends by speaking into the mouthpiece. The message is delivered to a small voice box attached to the pooch's collar and signals Rover that it is time to come home.

The invention is in it's prototype stages, but additional features are being developed, such as an automatic voice warning that states, "this dog is lost" when the collar is taken too far away from it's target destination. The sound of knocking on a door as well as a food can opening may also be added to the system to entice the pup to return. The PetSafe Voice Trainer is expected to be on shelves by early 2008.

Photo found on Flickr