About 40 percent of dogs experience some kind of noise anxiety, according to The New York Times [1], which is why Fourth of July fireworks cause many of them to panic and bolt, making July 5 a very busy day for animal shelters. There are precautions you can take [2] during the holiday weekend, including keeping your dog as calm and contained as possible, but it's also hugely beneficial to make sure your dog is tagged and chipped [3]. Another option to keep track of your dog is to invest in a GPS tracker [4], like Whistle. In honor of July being Pet Loss Prevention Month, Whistle has pulled together a few of its users' stories of losing their pets before and after having a pet tracker. Read through to meet the culprits who just might convince you to invest in a pet tracker for your own dog.

Barley and Loki

After getting their 30-foot training leash tangled up with a kayaker just off Portland’s Sauvie Island in Oregon, Barley and Loki sensed the small window of opportunity to dash down the beach together. In a few short seconds, the two Samoyeds took off running out of sight, trailing their leash behind them. Their owners caught up to them after a mile trek, where they had become tangled with some driftwood (luckily, their leashes were attached to harnesses, not collars).

Ernie

When Ernie goes hiking, he’s often allowed to roam off leash as long as he stays in line of sight. During an otherwise typical hike, Ernie spotted a porcupine and instincts set in to chase him. Within a few minutes, Ernie was completely out of sight. Using her Whistle, Ernie’s mom spotted him on the map where she was standing but didn’t see him anywhere. That’s when she heard him barking a few feet away — from an underground cave, about 12 feet down. First responders hiked in to help rescue Ernie, who only had a few quills — and a scratched up tracker — to show for the eventful day out.

Ollie

Did you know that a Great Pyrenees can jump more than six feet high? Neither did Ollie’s parents, until he cleared their fence several times in one short month. After Ollie gave his owners a scare again, by leaping the fence at 1 a.m. and misreading their search for him as part of a game, they put in a 10-foot fence. They also set a virtual perimeter to keep him in sight since he’s a clever creature.

Pinto

Pinto the Pointer is usually well behaved off leash but occasionally improvises on the rules. One day, his instincts sent him running, giving his family a scare as they looked everywhere for him for hours. They received a call from his doggy day care, about two miles from home, when a worker found Pinto sitting patiently at the back door waiting to be let in to hang with his pals.

Ralph

Ralph and his dad go for morning trail runs in the Santa Monica, CA, hills to help Ralph burn some of his working dog energy. One day, Ralph decided to pick a new running buddy for the day and dashed out of sight, running alongside a different human he found on the trails. Without a tracker, his owner would be on a maze-running mission to try to find where Ralph’s trail selections take him.

Whiskey and Foxtrot

Huskies Whiskey and Foxtrot discovered that the back gate had been left open and answered the knock of opportunity. Their parents were surprised to receive a call from the local grocery store informing them that not only had their pets gotten out of the yard, but they were roaming the aisles together. They are now famous in town as the “Kroger dogs."