5 Acres of Safe Exploration for this Chocolate Lab: Theo's Story

October 12, 2021

Meet Theo, a playful chocolate lab — with his best friend Florrie the donkey.

Florrie is Theo’s pet, and they are inseparable. Not surprisingly, Theo’s favorite activity is playing with other dogs and animals. So much so that Theo has a tendency to wander…

“I live on a 5 acre estate in Connecticut and Theo likes to roam down the road to visit his dog friends, but the SpotOn collar keeps him contained on my property.”- Owner, Durland

Named after ‘Theobroma cacao’, the chocolate tree, this independent 3 year old has a penchant for mischief, and needed to be leashed when he was alone outside to stay out of trouble.

“I had to keep him on a leash or on a line in the yard. I could not trust him outside alone.”

While you wouldn't know it from these innocent pictures, this sweet boy can occasionally be a bit of a troublemaker. In addition to visiting his friends down the road, he likes to steal food! Theo’s other favorite (and more innocent) activities all take place in the great outdoors - playing frisbee, playing ball and watching airplanes. He loves to be outside, and usually stays close, but would wander off if he had the opportunity. Enter SpotOn GPS fence...

“He learned the boundary quickly and used to constantly test it! He would listen for the sound, pace back and forth, and then decide it’s not worth it and returns. He has only experienced the shock once.”

Now, Theo & Durland have come to a mutual understanding about where Theo can go, which has changed their relationship and given Durland peace of mind. Theo now happily respects his boundaries while enjoying his freedom.

“He has already given up on testing it. He goes to the road and paces back and forth even without the collar and then decides to come back. SpotOn is ideal for my situation and even with frequent sorties into the pond it keeps on working. It is such a relief not to have to worry about him when he is outside and unsupervised.”

Theo is a busy boy, as he’s also a trained service dog. When he’s not enjoying his freedom at home and playing with his furry friends, he is putting his skills and sweet temperament to work (sometimes flying to get there)! But when he’s off duty, he is back to being just a regular dog - all fun and games and full of mischief!

At home in Connecticut, Durland lives on a very wooded property and is thrilled that SpotOn works well even among the trees! What sold him on SpotOn was satellite location and cellular connection, and if asked by a friend about his experience, Durland would answer ‘there is no substitute.’ Beyond the backyard, Durland has used SpotOn to take Theo swimming, to a friend’s house, and at their second property in Florida. Now that Theo understands the boundaries, SpotOn works for him wherever they go. They haven’t gone camping yet, but are planning to soon!

“I no longer have to worry about him when he is outside - with or without me.”

Now safely contained in his yard, Theo can no longer visit his dog friends down the road. Luckily for him though, he has plenty of playmates at home. In addition to Florrie, the family has an Arab Gelding horse named Chase, and all three love to run around and entertain each other.