The beagle, bless his perpetually damp nose, has a knack for disappearing. Not a full-blown Houdini act, mind you, just a spirited drift into the neighbor’s prize-winning rose bushes, or a sudden, unexplained fascination with the woods behind the property line. Before the Inspire 3, tracking those escapades involved a lot of frantic yelling and bribing with bacon.

My initial setup impressions of the Fitbit Inspire 3 were…well, surprisingly pleasant. This is coming from someone who usually loathes fiddling with tech. The pairing with the app was quick, the interface intuitive. The real test, of course, was whether it could handle the realities of dog-tracking. Forget the marketing fluff about “finding your energy,” what I needed was a device that could pinpoint my canine chaos agent’s location.

The Inspire 3 boasts impressive battery life. Days, even. A stark contrast to the clunky GPS trackers of yesteryear that needed charging daily. And, unlike some of its bulkier rivals (looking at you, Tractive), this thing doesn’t scream “I’M A TRACKER!” It’s sleek, unobtrusive, a design choice I greatly appreciate. The subtle look keeps the tracker from becoming a distraction, and lets me focus on the important task at hand.

The activity tracking is solid, as you’d expect. Steps, heart rate, sleep – all the usual metrics. But the crucial feature, for my purposes, is the ability to monitor the dog’s movement. It’s not a GPS tracker, mind you, relying instead on Bluetooth range. The device’s advertised maximum range is often optimistic, about 30 feet, maybe. The signal can drop in moments. Luckily, my boy tends to loiter within a reasonable radius. The key is establishing a solid “home” signal, which is best achieved near your router, or any location with consistent Wi-Fi. It’s not perfect, but it provides a decent, practical solution.

Now, one slight niggle: the Inspire 3’s screen is small, making it a bit tricky to read in bright sunlight. But, honestly, a quick glance at the app on my phone solves that.

For dog owners with a less adventurous canine companion (or those who want to track their own activity), the Fitbit Inspire 3 offers a blend of performance and discretion. This isn’t a replacement for a dedicated GPS unit in certain situations, but for everyday use and moderate activity tracking, the Inspire 3 is a solid investment. Go get one. Just maybe don’t leave it in the rose bushes.