Virtual fences let you mark the places that matter around your pet — the garden they're allowed to roam, or the busy road you'd rather they stayed away from. When your pet crosses one of those boundaries, Ask A Vet sends you an alert.
Safe zones vs no-go zones
There are two kinds of virtual fence, and they work in opposite directions:
| Type | What it's for | You get an alert when your pet |
|---|---|---|
| Safe Zone | An area where your pet can roam freely | Leaves it |
| No-Go Zone | An area your pet should avoid | Enters it |
You'll see both described this way in the app's empty states: safe zones "create safe areas where your pet can roam freely", no-go zones "create areas your pet should avoid".
Where to find them
In the Ask A Vet app, open your pet's profile, go to the GPS tracker settings, and tap Virtual fence ("Mark safe and no-go areas for your pet"). The screen has two tabs, Safe Zone and No-Go Zone.
Please note: the two tabs are only different views of the same list. Your tracker holds a total of 5 virtual fences, in any mix of safe and no-go zones. Three safe zones plus two no-go zones means you're already at the limit.
Shape and size
Virtual fences are circles. You pick a centre point on the map and set the radius:
| Setting | Radius |
|---|---|
| Minimum | 100 m |
| Maximum | 10,000 m (10 km) |
| Default | 100 m |
What you see on the map
Active fences are drawn on your pet's tracker map as a coloured circle with a small icon marker in the middle — green for safe zones, red for no-go zones. Fences you've switched off, or that are being deleted, aren't drawn.
When your pet's position falls inside a fence, the marker shows a Here · {zone name} label with the zone's icon.
If your pet doesn't have a fence yet, the map shows a nudge banner: Set up a virtual fence — Get notified when {pet} leaves a safe area. Tapping it takes you straight to the Virtual fence screen.
Important: virtual fences need a plan that includes the GPS tracker. See the Subscription & Billing section of this help center for what each plan includes.
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