Smart snout technology is a way to identify a lost dog. The person who invented it, Bradley Watson, from Brantford, Suffolk decided that a dog’s snout is like a fingerprint. He got the idea after watching a police show on television. The officers used fingerprint technology to track down criminals. He thought that the same idea could be applied to dogs using their snout rather than fingerprints.
He created an app for a smartphone which he believes is the better way of finding a lost dog because criminals cut out the microchip from dogs when they are stolen. After Watson thought of the idea, he got in touch with a few investors and started working with an app team in London and discovered that it works amazingly according to him.
The app instructs a dog owner to take a picture of their dog’s nose and register details about themselves and their pet. The technology then records the image and detects patterns, lines and other features of the dog’s snout which are unique to that dog.
When a person comes across a dog that might be lost, they can use the app on their smartphone. They take a picture of the animal’s nose and check if it matches with any on the app’s database. If there is a match the owner of the dog is notified.
The app was launched last July and it currently has 126,000 users. It has reunited 39 dogs with their owners.
Bradley Watson, 44, is a trainer and breeder. He said: “From start of life to death, a dog’s biometrics on its nose don’t change”.
The app is free to download but requires a £4.99 p annual fee to register your dog’s details.
