pet connection

You are stepping into the store to do a quick errand and have left your dog in the car — freshly ventilated, cool, shaded and safe — or so you thought.

However, to your surprise, when you come out of the store your car — and your pup — is gone!

What do you do? First, of course, you scream “Somebody stole my car!” to anyone who is within ear shot. This is a natural reaction and may, in fact, alert a bystander who possibly could have seen the heist in progress.

Second, you call the police and report (in a loud, frantic voice) “Somebody stole my car!” and add “And my dog too!” Then you give them the license number, make , model and color of your vehicle and any other details that might help the police locate your missing car.

Then you wait.

However, if you have a new service just introduced by OnStar, you have yet another option: You can report your stolen vehicle to Onstar, who can then find your car via a sophisticated GPS locator system. OnStar will then contact the police and let them know the car’s location.

But there’s more. Once the cops track down your wayward DogCar and try to pull it over, the thief may not be too willing to stop. If a chase ensures — endangering your innocent pup inside — OnStar can help again.

A new OnStar service can actually slow the vehicle down to help the police capture the crook without harm to your dog, car or any other innocent bystanders.

This new technology, known as Stolen Vehicle Slowdown, is the latest enhancement to OnStar’s stolen vehicle service and can allow OnStar advisors working with law enforcement to send a signal to a subscriber’s stolen vehicle to reduce engine power slowing the vehicle down gradually.

The process for Stolen Vehicle Slowdown is quite amazing. Using real-time GPS technology, OnStar can take over the operation of the vehicle’s engines. Here’s how it works:

1) Once the vehicle has been reported stolen to law enforcement, the subscriber can call OnStar and request Stolen Vehicle Location Assistance. OnStar will confirm the subscriber has not opted out of the Stolen Vehicle Slowdown service.
2) OnStar will use real-time GPS technology to attempt to pinpoint the exact location of the stolen vehicle and provide this information to law enforcement to help them recover the vehicle.
3) When law enforcement has established a clear line of sight of the stolen vehicle, law enforcement may request OnStar to slow it down remotely.
4) Safeguards will be in place to ensure that the correct vehicle is slowed down.
5) OnStar then sends a remote signal to the vehicle that interacts with the Powertrain system to reduce engine power which will slow the vehicle down gradually.

Having recently tested this service on a prototype vehicle, I can attest to its effectiveness. Playing the role of the car thief, it was quite disconcerting to find that the engine power was cut off with no input from me. As the vehicle rolled to a stop, I could feel the same sense of defeat that a crook might feel when he looses control of the car’s power.

The result would be a happy ending for both your vehicle and your dog.

General Motors says that initially the new service will be available on nearly 1.7 million models in 2009, with Chevrolet leading the way.

Check out this video demonstrating the new OnStar service.