It was a dark and stormy night – a night Melissa would have preferred to spend indoors. Instead, she was in her pajamas and rain boots chasing Marnie the Irish Setter through the woods. Why? Marnie had seen a deer, and interpreted the fence around her yard as a mere suggestion. Marnie is an Irish Setter dog, after all, bred to hunt and run all day long.

brown dog barking up a tree
Typical Marnie barking up a tree

Melissa learned how motivated Marnie is to capture her quarry shortly after they rescued the dog. “She jumped the fence to go into the lake after the ducks,” Melissa recalls. One night, Melissa woke to the sound of Marnie running around upstairs. “We quickly learned she was after a bat that had gotten in through the attic,” Melissa says. “She caught it, and five more that were trapped in the downspout.” 

Marnie was rescued at age three after being found running through a neighborhood. “She was in bad shape,” Melissa recalls. Marnie had numerous infections and was terrified of going indoors. With lots of patience, Melissa’s family gradually settled into a pleasant routine with Marnie. 

But after that late-night dash through the woods, when Melissa caught her dog at the edge of a four-lane highway, she decided to get a Tractive GPS dog tracker.

Marnie’s family could see where their girl was in real-time thanks to the Tractive GPS app

Tractive came to the rescue of Melissa’s dad, who was dog sitting for Marnie while the family was on vacation.

Melissa’s dad called just as she landed at the airport. “Dad was frantic because Marnie had escaped,” she says. He had the Tractive app on his phone but was too flustered to use it.

I got on the Tractive app in the airport and directed my dad to where Marnie was running,” Melissa says. “I was able to guide him to her.

Marnie was found soaking wet near a lake, probably from chasing some ducks. “I have a screenshot of her little jaunt,” Melissa says, noting that she can laugh about it now that Marnie is safe.

Marnie, once a fearful street dog, feeling safe and comfortable resting in her new home with her loving family

Melissa’s family recently moved near a waterway filled with crabs, frogs, and snakes that keep Marnie busy all day. “We let our guard down and didn’t charge her Tractive as often as we should,” Melissa says. Marnie ended up in the next neighborhood barking at a cat. “The only way we found her was by her barking,” says Melissa. “Now we faithfully charge her Tractive.”

Tractive is a great solution for active dogs like Marnie, who tend to follow their instincts. Says Melissa, “I highly recommend the Tractive to anyone who has an escape artist dog!”

Discover the GPS dog tracker that could save your dog’s life