Underground Dog Containment Fence History

Electronic Dog Fence History: Pet Stop’s President, John Purtell, is the original founder of Invisible Fence Brand in 1976. John is the most experienced executive in the “Electronic Pet Fencing” industry paving the way for ensuring your pet’s overall safety. John Purtell was the Founder and CEO for Invisible Fence Brand before joining Perimeter Technologies, Inc., the manufacturer of all Pet Stop® Brand Products. Invisible Fence and Dog Watch Brands are Made in China.

Personal Bio of John Purtell

John Purtell, President of Perimeter Technologies, Inc., is a Philadelphia native and graduate of Penn State University, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Prior to college, Purtell proudly served with several US Army airborne units, including the 101st in Vietnam. Following college, Purtell assumed a managerial position for a large manufacturing firm in Philadelphia where he rapidly ascended to become responsible for materials and production for three facilities.

Seeking more business diversification, Purtell moved on to accept a position with Equitable Life Assurance Company as an equities qualified representative who sold unqualified plans to business owners. At Equitable, Purtell won several awards, including the top award for sales production.

But Purtell was ultimately seeking his own business, so in 1976 he took a significant risk by leaving his position at Equitable to start a business based on a totally unproven and unknown technology. Stay-Put was an electronic pet containment system invented by Richard Peck of Trexlertown, PA. Purtell purchased the patent from Peck and began the process of building a highly successful business. He changed the product’s name to Invisible Fence, and created a comprehensive installation and training process. After several years of building sales in the Philadelphia area, Purtell began to expand the company by marketing the Invisible Fence Product nationally.

As they say, “The rest is history.” Purtell led a highly successful effort in building a large dealer network, consisting of over 350 independent dealers and operators in the United States and five international countries. His product generated over $50 million each year while employing over 100 people in sales, engineering, marketing, and manufacturing. Purtell blazed a trail for several competitors as well; these companies now represent an industry that generates over $300 million each year.

In 1993, John Purtell sold his interest in Invisible Fence while the company was at its zenith. Today, the company is on its third owner; an American company that specializes in Chinese manufacturing. From 1993 to 1998, Purtell honored his non-compete agreement by creating an exciting new company in the golf industry, but his desire to compete in the electronic pet containment industry never waned. Once the clause expired, Purtell sold his golf company and re-entered the pet containment business on a path that eventually led him to Bob Slattery, a successful Cincinnati entrepreneur looking to expand his own pet containment business, a product called Pet Stop® Electronic Pet Fence Systems.