What Doggone does

Doggone is a Christchurch, New Zealand-based pet technology company that builds smart tags, a mobile app, and a reunification platform aimed at helping owners recover lost or wandering dogs and cats. Its core product is the Text Reunite Tag, a recyclable HDPE plastic tag that anyone finding a lost pet can text to the short code 4133 to receive the owner's contact details and any medical or behavioural notes, powered by an exclusive partnership with SMS provider Modica Group and delivering an average response time of roughly four seconds. The company has extended into hardware with the GPS Smart Tag, a 4G/GPS-enabled waterproof (IP67) tracker offering real-time location accuracy to within five metres and a one-press S.O.S. call button, priced at $189.99 for the device plus an $8/month subscription. Both products integrate with the Doggone iOS and Android app, which manages pet profiles, real-time location history, pet-care notifications, and a patented 'Report a Wandering Dog' feature that lets any app user flag a tagged dog nearby.

Doggone operates a dual go-to-market motion. On the consumer side it runs direct-to-consumer e-commerce via its own WooCommerce website and the Apple/Google app stores, monetising through an annual $24 subscription per text tag and the GPS hardware-plus-subscription tier. On the enterprise side it partners with New Zealand local government councils — Hutt City, Kaikōura District, Manawatū District, and previously Hamilton City for a 2018 trial — embedding its tags into official dog registration workflows and providing an Animal Management Dashboard for real-time lost-and-found monitoring. The company claims 5,000+ subscribers, 2,200+ reunions since launch, and council-trial satisfaction of 87% recommending inclusion in registration and 99% willingness to pay.

Funding has been modest and largely non-dilutive: three Callaghan Innovation R&D grants totalling roughly NZ$28.7K between 2018 and 2022, incubator support from Te Ōhaka in Christchurch, and no disclosed venture capital. The company is privately held and founder-led by Tracy Austin as CEO, with a headcount range of 11–50 employees, and operates exclusively within the New Zealand market.

Name

Doggone

Legal name

Doggone Limited

Website

https://doggone.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Doggone is a Christchurch-based pet technology company offering SMS reunite tags, GPS smart tags, and a companion mobile app to help reunite lost dogs and cats with owners across New Zealand, serving both individual pet owners and local government councils.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Technology Services

akta.pro primary industry

Remote Monitoring & Connected Pet Care (Wearables, IoT, Chronic Care Programs) (HLAMAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pet Care & Consumer Tracking IoT (Feeders, Pet Doors, GPS Trackers) (HSAPAQAL)

Keywords

• Pet reunification technology
• GPS pet tracking
• Animal management software
• Smart pet identification
• Lost pet recovery service

Headquarters

HQ city

Christchurch

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Text Reunite Tag Subscription: Annual subscription for the text reunite service at $24 per year. Includes a free physical tag upon subscription. Subscription provides unlimited access to the 4133 text reunite service and access to the Doggone app. Pet owners renew annually to keep their pet's profile active in the database and maintain access to the reunite service.
2. GPS Smart Tag (Hardware + Subscription): One-time hardware purchase for the GPS Smart Tag (pre-order price $189.99) combined with an ongoing monthly subscription at $8/month. The GPS tag uses 4G and GPS technology for real-time location monitoring and includes a one-press S.O.S. feature.
3. Council Dog Registration Tags: Councils offer Doggone tags as part of official dog registration. Councils pay for or subsidize Doggone tags distributed to pet owners at registration, integrating Doggone into the annual dog registration process. Provides councils with sustainable registration tags and the exclusive text reunite service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Doggone provides intelligent pet identification tags (Text Reunite Tag and GPS Smart Tag) backed by a mobile app and SMS reunite service (text 4133) that enables anyone finding a lost pet to immediately contact the owner. The company sells subscriptions directly to individual pet owners across New Zealand and partners with local government councils to integrate its tags into official dog registration processes.

Product overview

Doggone offers a pet safety and reunification platform consisting of two hardware tag products (Text Reunite Tag and GPS Smart Tag), a companion mobile app, and council integration services. The Text Reunite Tag uses SMS technology for basic reunification, while the GPS Smart Tag adds real-time 4G/GPS tracking with S.O.S. functionality. Both tags integrate with the Doggone App for profile management and notifications. The council partnership program enables municipalities to incorporate Doggone into official dog registration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Text Reunite Tag A subscription-based pet identification tag ($24/year) that enables anyone finding a lost pet to text the tag's unique number to 4133 and immediately receive the owner's contact information. Includes access to the Doggone app for real-time profile updates and medical/behavioural information sharing.
• GPS Smart Tag A 4G and GPS-enabled waterproof pet tracker (IP67 standard) that provides real-time location monitoring accurate to within 5 metres. Features a one-press S.O.S. button that allows finders to directly contact the pet owner. Price: $189.99 plus $8/month subscription.
• Doggone Mobile App A mobile application available on iOS and Android that serves as the central platform for managing pet profiles, viewing real-time location data, receiving notifications for vaccinations/vet appointments/dog registration/birthdays, and accessing Doggone's reunite services. Supports up to three emergency contacts per pet.
• Council Dog Registration Integration Service A council-facing service that integrates Doggone's text reunite tags into municipal dog registration processes. Provides councils with real-time data on lost and found dogs, classified dog flagging, and an animal management dashboard. Currently partnered with Kaikōura District Council and Manawatū District Council.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average text reunite service response time of 4 seconds via Modica Group's SMS technology, with 100% reuniting success rate
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Te Ōhaka – Centre for Growth and InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021Doggone was accepted into Te Ōhaka – Centre for Growth and Innovation in Christchurch, the engine room for high-growth early-stage start-ups. The centre is run in partnership between Ministry of Awesome, Ara Institute of Canterbury, and ChristchurchNZ. Acceptance into this incubator provides Doggone with access to growth resources, mentorship, and a network of innovation-focused organisations.
• Callaghan InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCallaghan Innovation, New Zealand's Government innovation agency, has been providing support to Doggone with an R&D project specifically designed to help councils with their animal management practices. Doggone is a recipient of Callaghan Innovation's R&D Experience Grant, used to undertake statistical review, analysis and modelling for comparative benchmarking data for Councils in New Zealand, supporting the development of Doggone's app during the Hamilton and Hutt City Council trials.
• Modica GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationDoggone has an exclusive partnership with Modica Group, a leading global SMS provider, powering the 4133 text reunite service. Doggone has achieved 100% reuniting success using Modica's dedicated SMS technology, with an average response time of just four seconds. This exclusive partnership is critical to Doggone's service reliability and speed.
• Kaikōura District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDoggone partnered with Kaikōura District Council to enhance their dog registration and animal management processes. The partnership was announced in May 2024. Doggone provides sustainable, recyclable dog registration tags suitable for both life-of-dog and annual dog registration, along with Doggone's exclusive text reunite service. Regulatory Services Team Leader Jo York stated Doggone has been a valuable partner with dedication to sustainability and innovative solutions that have allowed improved efficiency of processes.
• Manawatū District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDoggone partnered with Manawatū District Council to provide sustainable, recyclable dog registration tags along with Doggone's exclusive text reunite service. Regulatory Manager Paul Greig noted that Doggone aligns perfectly with the council's sustainability objectives and enables resource saving while improving services to dog owners and the wider community. The partnership saves resources for councils, pet owners, and the community.
• Hutt City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHutt City Council partnered with Doggone for a two-year trial (2019-2021) with over 4,000 Lower Hutt pet owners. During the trial, over 1,600 dogs were reunited with their owners. Following the trial, Hutt City Council extended the partnership to offer Doggone to all dog owners as part of their dog registration. The council is also offering Doggone as an option for the 2020/2021 dog registration year.
• Hamilton City CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHamilton City Council conducted a trial of Doggone's Bluetooth smart tags from October to December 2018 in partnership suburbs Nawton, Grandview Heights, and parts of Dinsdale. The trial involved 1,000 Doggone tags. Animal Education and Control Manager Susan Stanford noted the app has the potential to save dog owners stress and money from impoundment fees. The council was described as 'clear leaders in innovation'.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tractive: Tractive sells GPS pet trackers with real-time location, worldwide 4G coverage, and a subscription-based model — directly comparable to Doggone's GPS Smart Tag on product, business model, and target customer (pet owners).
• Whistle (Mars Petcare): Whistle offers GPS pet trackers and health/activity monitoring with a subscription model, owned by Mars Petcare. Directly comparable to Doggone's GPS Smart Tag and app-based pet monitoring offering.
• Fi: Fi builds smart GPS dog collars with LTE-M tracking, activity tracking, and subscription-based service. A direct peer to Doggone on product (smart pet GPS), business model (hardware + subscription), and target buyer.
• Pawtrack: Pawtrack is a GPS cat collar with location tracking via dedicated app, originally developed in the UK. Compares to Doggone on GPS pet tracking hardware, app-based monitoring, and a focus on cats as well as dogs.
• Tabcat: Tabcat makes pet (especially cat) location trackers using RF/handheld direction-finding technology. Comparable to Doggone in the pet tracking category, though uses a different (non-GPS, non-cellular) technology approach.
• Loc8tor: Loc8tor produces pet and personal tracking devices using RF homing technology with handheld direction finders. Compares to Doggone as a small-form-factor pet tracking solution for owners seeking to locate lost animals.

Emerging players

• PetPace: PetPace is a smart collar focused on health and vital-sign monitoring (temperature, pulse, respiration, activity) for dogs and cats. Comparable to Doggone on the connected pet collar + app category, though differentiated toward health monitoring rather than location.
• Cube Tracker: Cube Tracker makes small Bluetooth and GPS trackers for keys, bags, and pets via a companion app. Overlaps with Doggone on consumer IoT pet tracking and BLE-based detection within a phone's range.
• Link AKC: Link AKC is a smart GPS dog collar with activity and temperature monitoring and a companion app. Directly comparable to Doggone on the smart GPS collar + subscription model, though it historically targeted the US market.

Broad incumbents

• Garmin (GPS dog devices): Garmin offers GPS-enabled dog tracking handhelds and Alpha/Astro tracking systems aimed at sporting/hunting dog owners. A broad incumbent comparable to Doggone's GPS Smart Tag category, though targeting a different (working dog) segment with a wider product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Doggone84440071
• Facebookfacebook.com/doggonenz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/doggone
• Instagraminstagram.com/doggonenz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Doggone