AirTag helps rescue dog swept away in California floodwaters

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iOS
A dog was caught up in San Bernardino flooding and was swept away into a flood control basin -- until rescuers tracked the AirTag in his collar.

Seamus after his ordeal. (Source: ABC 7, San Bernardino County Fire
Seamus after his ordeal. (Source: ABC 7, San Bernardino County Fire


AirTags have famously helped track stolen items, or lost luggage, and the arrest of stalkers. Now it's saved the life of Seamus, an 18-month-old Australian Shepherd dog in California.

According to local station ABC 7, the incident happened in San Bernardino County on January 16, 2023.

"He got away from me, and he just went down into this drainage," said Seamus's owner, Emilie Brill. "The water was going so fast. I think all it took was one paw in that water, and he was gone."

The dog was swept downstream and was spotted by witnesses for around a mile, until he disappeared. Using the AirTag in Seamus's collar, firefighters found him in an access tube.

"Seamus was equipped with both Apple AirTag and a conventional ID Tag," the local fire department posted online, "which aided rescuers and owners in tracking the pup and reuniting them."

In November 2022, an AirTag similarly helped track down a runaway dog in Florida. Apple doesn't recommend attaching an AirTag to a pet or person, but hundreds of accessories exist for doing just that.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    comcastsuckscomcastsucks Posts: 65member
    Yay!!! If I get another dog, I'm absolutely sticking an AirTag on him//her, regardless of what Apple suggests.
    gregoriusmwatto_cobralolliver
  • Reply 2 of 10
    danoxdanox Posts: 2,848member
    comcastsucks said:
    Yay!!! If I get another dog, I'm absolutely sticking an AirTag on him//her, regardless of what Apple suggests.
    This is America Apple has suggested not doing that for legal reasons too many lawyers in the land. Note Apple will still get sued no matter what, but they still had to say it.
    gregoriusmwatto_cobralolliverjony0
  • Reply 3 of 10
    comcastsuckscomcastsucks Posts: 65member
    danox said:
    comcastsucks said:
    Yay!!! If I get another dog, I'm absolutely sticking an AirTag on him//her, regardless of what Apple suggests.
    This is America Apple has suggested not doing that for legal reasons too many lawyers in the land. Note Apple will still get sued no matter what, but they still had to say it.
    That's a good point!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 10
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,088member
    I have an AirTag on my dog.  It works great.   Just one more level of safety 

    FWIW,  I also have  AirTags on my mountain bikes, in my cars, in my wallet, on my key chain.  Amazing product 
    gregoriusmwatto_cobradavgreglolliverjony0
  • Reply 5 of 10
    igorskyigorsky Posts: 754member
    red oak said:
    I have an AirTag on my dog.  It works great.   Just one more level of safety 

    FWIW,  I also have  AirTags on my mountain bikes, in my cars, in my wallet, on my key chain.  Amazing product 
    Does it start beeping when you're away from the house at work?  That's what I'm concerned about....don't want the mutt to start freaking out.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 10
    billxsandbillxsand Posts: 1member
    igorsky said:
    Does it start beeping when you're away from the house at work?  That's what I'm concerned about....don't want the mutt to start freaking out.
    Yes, this is an issue. The solution is the "stalker mod", as i call it. excellent tutorial here, be very careful not to break the tabs. I did this 9 months ago and the tag has lived silently in my dog's collar ever since.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 10
    payecopayeco Posts: 581member
    red oak said:
    I have an AirTag on my dog.  It works great.   Just one more level of safety 

    FWIW,  I also have  AirTags on my mountain bikes, in my cars, in my wallet, on my key chain.  Amazing product 
    Careful. There is a 16 AirTag limit per Apple ID for some stupid reason. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 10
    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames Posts: 1,904member
    igorsky said:
    red oak said:
    I have an AirTag on my dog.  It works great.   Just one more level of safety 

    FWIW,  I also have  AirTags on my mountain bikes, in my cars, in my wallet, on my key chain.  Amazing product 
    Does it start beeping when you're away from the house at work?  That's what I'm concerned about....don't want the mutt to start freaking out.
    No, they don’t use start beeping on their own. They will beep if they are triggered to beep, but that isn’t something a dog can do or something that happens based on proximity. An AirTag can be set to notify you if it has been left behind by you but it still won’t beep without being triggered.
    edited January 2023 lolliver
  • Reply 9 of 10
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,037member
    red oak said:
    I have an AirTag on my dog.  It works great.   Just one more level of safety 

    FWIW,  I also have  AirTags on my mountain bikes, in my cars, in my wallet, on my key chain.  Amazing product 
    Likewise - Magic , my Standard Poodle, has an AirTag and the Emoji for a Poodle is what is used in FindMy.  AirTag also on my Bike. There is a thumb bell for sale that has a compartment that can conceal an AirTag.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    bestkeptsecretbestkeptsecret Posts: 4,265member
    I immediately thought about a Pink Floyd song called Seamus, which was a throwaway song about a dog, called Seamus, belonging to Humble Pie's Steve Mariott. It was a laugh.
Sign In or Register to comment.