PitPat, the Cambridge company behind subscription-free fitness and GPS trackers for dogs, has been named a finalist in the The Vistage Growth Business of the Year Award in the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards 2026.
Pitpatpet Ltd designs, manufactures and sells wearable devices that attach to a dog’s collar or harness. Paired with a companion mobile app, the waterproof hardware continuously monitors a dog’s activity, from walking and running to playing and resting, while calculating calories burned and steps taken. A satellite-enabled GPS model adds real-time location tracking to help owners recover lost pets quickly.
A growing market with a serious purpose
The company operates where consumer electronics, pet technology and digital pet health meet, a fast-growing global market driven by the trend of pet humanisation, in which owners invest in health monitoring and wellness products for their animals. The stakes are real: according to the business, more than half the world’s dogs are overweight or obese and one in three will go missing during their lifetime, meaning its products can benefit hundreds of millions of dogs and their owners worldwide.
Ripping up the subscription model
PitPat’s central point of difference is pricing. Where its main competitors require ongoing monthly or annual fees to use cellular tracking networks, PitPat provides lifetime connectivity with no subscription charges, sharply reducing the total cost of ownership. The company also reports industry-leading battery life, with the GPS tracker lasting months rather than days and the activity monitor running for over a year, which it describes as the longest battery life of any wearable on the market, human or animal. The company’s website describes the GPS device as the first tracker to combine the latest LTE-M and NB-IoT network technologies for improved power performance and coverage, and the Cambridge Independent has previously reported on the product’s launch from the firm’s base in the city’s technology cluster.
British-made, sold to the world
The products are designed in Cambridge and manufactured in the UK, and the firm holds Made in Britain accreditation, a combination that underpins its second shortlisting, in the category recognising British businesses achieving sustainable international growth through exporting their products, services and solutions. Alongside sales through the PitPat website, the business exports through Amazon in Europe and Australasia, taking its British-made hardware to owners in markets far beyond the UK.
Partnerships reinforce that reach. The company’s devices are Vet Approved, and it has built relationships across the pet sector, working with vet group CVS, insurers including Waggel, Pet Protect, John Lewis and Argos, pet food manufacturer Purina and supplement maker Lintbells, selling through these channels as well as directly to consumers.
Two chances on 10 November
PitPat now competes in The Vistage Growth Business of the Year Award, which recognises businesses with revenues up to £25m growing across a range of metrics, and in The Department for Business & Trade International Expansion of the Year Award, where judges look for significant overseas growth, in-depth knowledge of international markets and a plan for sustained export success.
The winners of both categories will be announced at the Lloyds British Business Excellence Awards ceremony at Grosvenor House, London on 10 November 2026, where the pet technology firm will learn whether its disruptive, British-made model has fetched a national title, or two.
