GPS microchip, ID microchip or GPS collar: what each one actually does

For decades, a microchip couldn't tell you where your dog was. Here is what ID chips, GPS collars and the first GPS microchip for dogs each actually do.

Type "GPS microchip for dogs" into a search bar and you will find article after article with the same answer: there is no such thing. For most of the last few decades, that was true. The word "microchip" and the word "GPS" described two completely different technologies, with two completely different jobs, and confusing them could cost a family precious hours when a dog went missing.

That answer is changing. Here is a plain, honest look at the three options you will hear about, what each one actually does, what each one can't do, and why we built the HALO chip, the first GPS microchip for dogs.

The short version: an ID microchip identifies your dog once someone has found it. A GPS collar shows your dog's location, as long as the collar stays on and stays charged. A GPS microchip shows your dog's location with no collar and nothing to plug in.

What an ID microchip is, and what it can't do

A standard ID microchip is a tiny tag placed under a dog's skin. The American Veterinary Medical Association is direct about its limits: the chips used in pets today contain only an identification number, and a microchip is not a GPS device and cannot track your animal if it gets lost. It has no battery. It does nothing until someone passes a scanner over it, and the scanner's radio waves wake it up long enough to read the number.

That number contains no name, no address and no phone number. Those live in a separate registry database, which means the system only works if three things happen in order: someone finds your dog, takes it to a place with a scanner, and the registry has your current contact details.

The third step is where things often break down. A 2009 Ohio State University study of 7,704 stray animals at 53 shelters, published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, found that microchipped dogs went home 52.2 percent of the time. Among the animals whose owners could never be found, the most common reason, in 35.4 percent of cases, was an incorrect or disconnected phone number in the registry.

And none of it helps while your dog is still out there. In the ASPCA's national lost-pet survey, only 6 percent of recovered dogs were found at a shelter. Most were found because their owners went out and searched, without knowing where to look.

What a GPS collar is, and the collar problem

A GPS collar is a tracker your dog wears around the neck. It can show your dog's location on your phone, which is a real step up. Most need a monthly or yearly subscription, and every one of them runs on a battery that has to be recharged.

The weakness is the collar itself. Collars slip off, snag on fences and break, get taken off for baths and grooming, and get left on the kitchen counter. Batteries run flat on exactly the wrong day. In a 2007 Ohio State study of 187 lost dogs, only 48 percent were wearing any identification at all at the moment they went missing. Whatever is on the collar only works if the collar is on the dog.

The third option: a GPS microchip

A GPS microchip combines the best of both. It sits under the skin like an ID chip, so it can't fall off or be left at home. But like a GPS tracker, it can show you where your dog is.

The HALO chip is a GPS microchip for dogs. It's placed by a veterinary team in one short visit, it's powered by your dog's body heat and movement, so there's nothing to plug in, and it shows your dog's live location on your phone. It launches in the US in spring 2027.

Side by side

How the HALO chip is different

• No collar to lose. It sits under the skin, so it can't slip off, snag or be left at home.
• Nothing to plug in. It charges itself from your dog's body heat and movement.
• One vet visit. It's placed by a veterinary team in a single short visit.
• More than a dot on a map. Along with live location and safe-zone alerts, it gives you AI insights into your dog's activity, so you can notice changes and talk to your vet sooner.
• Built with shelters in mind. Shelters and rescues will be able to scan a HALO chip dog free from a phone or tablet, and the owner is told right away.

Why we built it

Too many searches for a lost dog start with a guess. For years, owners have been stuck choosing between a chip that can't tell them where their dog is and a tracker that only works while it stays on and stays charged. Neither felt good enough for a dog you love.

So we set out to build the thing people kept searching for and couldn't find: a GPS microchip for dogs. Our purpose is simple. A way home for every dog.

Where dog tracking is going

For years, keeping a dog safe meant living with a trade-off: something you never have to think about that can't track, or something that tracks but needs a collar and a charger. The HALO chip ends that trade-off. We believe GPS under the skin, placed by your vet and powered by your dog, will become the standard way to keep dogs safe.

Which one is right for your dog?

If you want to know where your dog is, you need GPS. A GPS collar does that today, as long as it stays on and stays charged. A GPS microchip does it with no collar and nothing to plug in, which is why we think it's the better way. Talk to your vet about what fits your dog's size, age and lifestyle.

The HALO chip launches in the US in spring 2027. You can see how it works, what the plans cost, or join the waitlist for first access near you. And if you ever need it, here is what to do in the first hour when your dog goes missing.