Jonathan’s Story

Idea Fetch Winner Jonathan & his dog Cookie

Jonathan’s Story

Jonathan Warren, a 25 year-old surfer and wave forecaster from San Diego, California is the inventor of the PetSafe Micro I.D. Rescue Collar™ and winner of the 2006 PetSafe IdeaFetch Pet Product Invention Contest. 

Jonathan, a first time “petrepreneur,” entered the PetSafe contest after his father showed him an advertisement for the competition in his local hometown newspaper.  He got the idea for the Micro I.D. Rescue Collar by simply remembering his childhood days.

Growing up, Jonathan carried a little microfiche card in his backpack that included his name, address, parent’s contact information and penicillin allergy.  Since Jonathan rode his bike to school everyday, his parents insisted that he carry the microfiche card in case he was lost or injured and needed the information to give paramedics or a police officer. 

Later in life, Jonathan bonded with a dog named Cookie.  She loved to run and play – but really loved to run away and explore the neighborhood.  Jonathan would spend hours in the car and on foot trying to find Cookie.  Thankfully, he always found her, but knew one day Cookie could potentially find herself in a harmful situation.  If a neighbor, Animal Control officer or helpful stranger found Cookie, how would they get in touch with Jonathan?  Jonathan knew that microchips and traditional pet tags wouldn’t be a good fit for her, so how could he protect her when he wasn’t there?   

After learning about the IdeaFetch contest, Jonathan adapted his parent's idea, reasoning that Cookie should be able to carry the same important information that he did as a child.  Using the same microfiche card concept, Jonathan invented a way to incorporate all of Cookie’s important information into one place – her collar! 

The PetSafe Micro I.D. Rescue Collar isn’t just a collar, but the ultimate pet protection system with convenient features even today’s best micro-chipping systems can’t offer.  Worn as an everyday dog or cat collar, a “USB Flash Drive” is hidden inside the collar to store all of your pet’s personalized data.  If a pet wearing the PetSafe Micro I.D. Rescue Collar is ever lost, the flash drive on the collar can be plugged right into any computer with a USB port to identify the pet.  No need for an inconvenient vet visit to scan information.  You don’t have to worry about computer viruses and there are no batteries to buy.  The rescue collar contains a pet profiler that includes:  home, work and cell phone numbers, vet records with any medical concerns, pet personality and even pet photos!  The collar also sports a toll-free number connecting callers to the optional PetSafe Rescue Service in case an Animal Control Officer or helpful stranger finds your pet and doesn’t have access to a computer. 

This new system is so quick and easy to use that it allows you to access your pet’s records at any time – day or night.  From work or home, even if you move!  Going on vacation?  You can update your contact information before you leave or on the road, including your hotel address and phone number.  You can conveniently print your pet’s records for a doggie daycare visit or trip to the vet.  The web site and flash drive also features a “lost dog or cat” flyer option where you can create a flyer for your lost pet and print copies immediately from your desktop.  Never before has a collar offered a pet owner so many benefits.

“My father gave me the human version of the Micro I.D. when I was younger, so I invented a similar version to help locate lost pets and log important information,” shares Jonathan.  “I hope other pet owners will use Micro I.D. as an everyday collar so their pets are always protected.”

Jonathan’s invention beat over 5,000 pet product ideas across the U.S.  Do you have a great pet product invention idea that you want to bring to market?  For more information about the PetSafe IdeaFetch Pet Product Invention Contest visit: www.ideafetch.com.