After nearly 1,500 successful search missions, the folks with Summit Lost Pet Rescue know a thing or two about how pets get lost — from jumping out of moving vehicles to getting separated from their humans on a hike.

When asked for advice on how to adventure with your pups, their first recommendation is to leash your dog. Even dogs trained with good recall at home and in familiar spaces may behave unexpectedly in the mountains and around wildlife.

Should you take your dog off-leash, know that AirTags, which require Bluetooth, will not help in the event your pet is lost. Tractive GPS Dog Tracker will work, but only with cellular service (and fresh batteries).

The Garmin Alpha 300 Series offers a dog tracker that uses satellites for remote backcountry areas.

“I don’t think having a tracking device is a substitute for having control over your dog,” but it can serve as a backup, should you get separated, said Greg Shoenfeld.