Once a virtual fence is set up and synced to your pet's collar, you don't have to do anything else — Ask A Vet watches the boundary for you. Here's exactly what gets sent, when, and to whom.
The four alerts
| What happened | Notification |
|---|---|
| Left a safe zone | {Pet} has left {Zone} — "Tap to see {Pet}'s current location." |
| Arrived at a safe zone | {Pet} has arrived at {Zone} — "Tap to see {Pet}'s current location." |
| Entered a no-go zone | {Pet} entered a restricted area — "{Pet} has entered {Zone}. Tap to see their location." |
| Left a no-go zone | {Pet} left a restricted area — "{Pet} has left {Zone}. Tap to see their location." |
Each one arrives as a push notification and is also saved to your in-app inbox. Tapping it opens your pet's tracker location.
Please note: power-saving zones never send alerts. Only safe zones and no-go zones do.
How a crossing is detected
A crossing can be spotted two ways: by the collar itself, or by Ask A Vet comparing your pet's latest location against your zones. Either way you get one notification — the two paths never double up.
Why you don't get repeat alerts
A pet dozing by the garden gate would otherwise trigger endless in-and-out alerts. Three protections prevent that:
| Protection | How it works |
|---|---|
| Exit buffer | Your pet has to be more than the fence radius plus 30 m away before they count as having left. |
| Repeat cooldown | The same crossing (same zone, same direction) within 60 seconds won't send a second notification. |
| Accuracy filter | Location fixes that are only accurate to worse than 100 m — and rough mobile-network fixes with no known accuracy — are never used to decide a crossing happened. |
Who gets the alert
Zone alerts go to you, to your pet's owner, and to every family member who has permission to track your pet's location — the same people who can see and manage the zones.
When alerts arrive
Alerts follow your pet's tracker updates, so timing depends on how often the collar reports and on network conditions where your pet is. [CONFIRM: whether the team wants to publish a typical alert delay — no measured figure exists today.]
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