Geocaching? Hiking? Camping? If you’re having great outdoor adventures with your dog these days, you might want to think about a bit of high-tech help in case Rover goes roving and gets lost in the woods.

Hear Now makes a dog collar with a GPS system and 2-way radio built right in — just think, you can call your dog from a range of up to 12 miles depending on the terrain! And of course the GPS system lets you pinpoint his location and bring him safely home.

For urban runaway pups, where buildings and radio interference can get in the way of tracking, there’s the Pet Cell.

Don’t laugh! Yes, it looks about as silly as anything I’ve seen in the pet supplies line, but that’s mostly because it’s pink. Basically, the cell phone on the dog’s collar will automatically answer when you call from one of several pre-set numbers, and you can talk to your dog.

Imagine — “Get off the couch, Rover!” Or, if the dog is lost, “Come home now!”

No, seriously, for a dog that suffers from separation anxiety when you’re away at work during the day, this might prove to be a useful tool.

Again, there’s a GPS system to help track a lost dog, but the PetCell has an added feature that looks like a practical idea — three “speed dial” buttons so anyone who finds your lost dog can call up your home number, your cell number, or an emergency contact, all with the press of one button.

So there I was, quietly minding my own business, scoping out the official licensed Disney character Halloween costumes for dogs (don’t ask!)… and what did I stumble upon?

Costumes for cell phones!

Madness…

And I believe this makes it official — the world’s going to hell in a handbasket!