ToadTurret and Pet Safety: What You Need to Know

If you have pets, this is probably the first thing you want to know: will this thing spray my dog?

It is a fair question, and the short answer is that ToadTurret has a safety system specifically designed to protect pets and native wildlife. But we also want to be honest about how it works and what its limitations are, because no AI system is perfect.

How Detection Works

ToadTurret runs an AI model on the device that has been trained to identify cane toads. The key thing to understand is that the on-device model is focused on toad detection. It looks at each image from the camera and asks: “Is this a cane toad?”

If the model is confident it is looking at a cane toad, it proceeds. If it is not confident, it does nothing. That “when in doubt, do nothing” approach is central to how the system works.

Where Pet Protection Comes In

The on-device AI is trained to detect cane toads. The cloud layer adds the ability to detect other animals.

When your ToadTurret is connected to WiFi, every detection image is also sent to a second, independent AI model running on our cloud server. This cloud model is specifically trained to identify dogs, cats, birds, and other animals that are not cane toads.

If the cloud model detects a pet or native animal in the image, the system immediately pauses. This safety pause gives the animal time to move away before the device resumes normal operation.

To be clear about how this works:

  • On-device (Layer 1): Detects cane toads. If it does not see a toad with sufficient confidence, no action is taken.
  • Cloud (Layer 2): When connected to WiFi, a second model checks for dogs, cats, birds, and other non-toad animals. If any are detected, the system pauses.

This means that WiFi connectivity improves pet safety. Without WiFi, the device still runs its on-device toad detection (and will not spray if it does not see a toad), but it does not get the additional cloud-based pet and wildlife checks. If you have pets that roam the yard at night, keeping your device connected to WiFi is strongly recommended.

What Happens During a Safety Pause

When the system detects a non-toad animal, it pauses for a set period. During this time:

  • The device stops all spray activity
  • The pause event is logged in your activity timeline on the dashboard
  • Once the pause period ends, the device resumes normal operation

You can see safety pause events in your activity log on the app or web dashboard at app.toadops.com.au. If you notice frequent safety pauses, it likely means pets or native animals are visiting the area regularly. That is the system working as intended.

Being Honest About Limitations

We believe in being upfront about what the AI can and cannot do.

No AI is perfect. There is always a small possibility that a non-toad animal could be misidentified. The dual-layer system significantly reduces this risk, but it does not eliminate it entirely. We are constantly working to improve accuracy, and every reported misidentification helps us make the model better.

The on-device model is focused on toads, not pets. The pet and wildlife detection happens on the cloud layer. This means WiFi connectivity is an important factor in pet safety. Without WiFi, the device relies solely on its on-device toad detection, which means it will not spray unless it thinks it sees a toad, but it does not have the extra layer of pet-specific checks.

Edge cases exist. Unusual lighting, partially obscured views, or animals at unusual angles can sometimes make identification harder for any AI system. The system is designed to err on the side of caution (when in doubt, it does nothing), but edge cases are a reality of AI-based detection.

Practical Tips for Pet Owners

Beyond the AI safety system, there are practical steps you can take:

  • Keep pets inside after dark. Cane toads are most active at night, and this is when your ToadTurret is doing its job. Keeping pets indoors during these hours is good practice regardless of whether you have a ToadTurret. Cane toad poisoning in dogs is a serious and common issue in toad-affected areas.
  • Keep your device on WiFi. This enables the cloud-based pet detection layer, which provides an extra level of safety.
  • Position away from pet resting areas. Do not place the device right next to where your dog sleeps or your cat hangs out. A reasonable distance from kennels, pet beds, and outdoor feeding areas is a good idea.
  • Essential oil safety. If you are using a spray solution that contains essential oils (like clove oil), be aware that some dogs and cats can be sensitive to these. Keeping the device away from pet areas helps minimise any exposure.
  • Check your dashboard. Review the activity log periodically to see if pets are triggering safety pauses. If they are, it means the system is detecting them and pausing, which is what you want.
  • Report any issues. If you ever see a detection image where a pet was not correctly identified, report it from the dashboard. Our team reviews every report, and the images are used to improve the AI model.

What If My Pet Gets Sprayed?

While the safety system is designed to prevent this, if it does happen:

  • The spray solution is user-supplied, so the ingredients depend on what you have put in the reservoir.
  • If you are using a diluted essential oil solution, rinse the affected area with clean water.
  • Contact your vet, especially if your pet shows any signs of irritation or distress.
  • Flag the siting to us so that we can ensure it added to our training data.

Alert-Only Mode

If you want the detection and monitoring capabilities without the spray, ToadTurret can run in alert-only mode. In this mode, the device detects and reports toads (with images uploaded to your dashboard when on WiFi) but does not activate the spray mechanism. This can be a good option if you are initially cautious about running the spray near pets while you get comfortable with the system.

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