Avoid pet theft: Best anti-theft tech for your dog

dog with gps collar playing in the yard with a family — Tractive

Pet theft is becoming an increasingly serious threat in major cities across the United States. Losing a pet under any circumstances is a heartbreaking experience, but having a beloved animal stolen can be especially terrifying for pet owners. Dogs are often a common target of pet theft, so dog owners should consider investing in anti-theft tech to help keep their pets safe.

Related: How we choose the best products for your home, work and life

Luckily, you won't have to look far. The CBS Essentials team has found tons of anti-theft devices on the market, such as Apple AirTags and Whistle GPS dog trackers, which allow you to keep tabs on your pet's location. We've even found home and car security tech to help monitor and keep your pets safe when they're alone.

Keep reading to explore the best anti-theft tech for your pets.

Best anti-theft tech for your dog

Protect your furry friends with these anti-theft tech devices. All of these products have a four-star rating or higher and include tons of positive reviews.

Whistle Go Explore GPS dog tracker

The Whistle Go Explore GPS dog tracker is like a smartwatch for your dog. It provides location tracking, activity tracking and health data tracking. With the GPS tracker, you can always know your dog's location.

Owners can also receive alerts if their dog leaves a designated location, such as your home or yard. It tracks activity data, including walking distance and calories burned, to provide food portion recommendations. It can even record behaviors such as licking and scratching to track symptoms of allergies or other health concerns.

Whistle Go Explore GPS dog tracker, $93 (reduced from $150)

$93 at Amazon

Apple AirTags

Apple AirTags are great for tracking your keys and luggage, but many pet owners also use the devices to track their pets. You can attach one to their collar with an AirTag compatible collar and track their location from your smartphone.

These tiny trackers send out a Bluetooth signal that can be anonymously detected by nearby devices. Even if your own phone isn't handy, you (and only you) can locate these trackers on an Apple "Find My" map. If your iPhone is handy, it can lead you straight to the tagged item via the phone's "Precision Finding" feature (found on the Apple iPhone 11 and newer models). This is helpful in instances of pet theft, or simply if you dog breaks out of the backyard.

Apple AirTags (4 pack), $89 (reduced from $99)

$89 at Amazon

Apple AirTags are water-resistant and designed to last for up to one year on a standard, replaceable battery.

You'll get the best per-AirTag price when you buy a four-pack. But if you only need one, single Apple AirTags are available at Amazon.

Apple AirTag, $27 (reduced from $30)

$27 at Amazon

Tractive GPS tracker for dogs

This GPS tracker monitors your dogs current location as well as their location history. You can also set up safe zones (such as your home and yard or your dog's daycare) and receive immediate alerts when your dog has left the assigned safe zone. The waterproof tracker can attach to any dog collar.

A subscription plan is required.

Tractive GPS tracker for dogs, $50

$50 at Amazon

Ring Alarm Pro 14-piece system

Keep your home secure when your pets are home alone with a home security system. The 14-piece system features a built-in Eero Wi-Fi 6 router, and comes with two Ring Alarm keypads, a base station, a range extender, eight contact sensors and two motion-detector devices.

One Amazon customer, who claims in a review to have previously paid "ungodly sums of money" to a traditional security company, says a system like the 14-piece Ring Alarm Pro is a relative bargain.

"This Ring Alarm has the upfront cost of several hundred dollars… BUT," the customer wrote in a 5-star review of the Ring Alarm Pro, "[n]ow we have a great system at a fraction of the cost that is much more modern, controls well from our phones, and is easily scalable if we want to add more components, sensors, etc."

Ring Alarm Pro, 14-piece with built-in Eero Wi-Fi 6 router, $380

$380 at Amazon

Ring car camera

Leaving your dog unattended in the car provides an opportunity for pet theft. Many pet owners use things like a remote start or Tesla's "dog mode" to keep the AC on for their dogs while they run into a store, but someone might try to snatch your pet while you step away. Having a smart camera in your car can help you keep an eye on your dog (and your car) at all times.

This car camera from Ring acts as a dash cam and security camera. The Ring car camera features a dual-facing HD camera system with two wide-angle cameras with night vision, one road-facing camera and one cabin-facing to monitor the interior of your car and protect against break-ins.

Ring car camera, $200

$200 at Amazon