Abstract: An animal collar with a pair of sensors for detecting the heartrate and temperature of the animal, an encoder for encoding the information for a specific animal, and a radio frequency transmitter for relaying the information to a receiver contained within a handheld monitor. The monitor decodes the information and displays it on a liquid crystal or light emitting diode display. The receiver may also include a keyboard for selecting specific codes for the decoder when more than one animal is to be monitored. A preferred embodiment of the invention utilizes a coded signal, transmitted by the handheld monitor and received by the collar device, for turning the collar transmitter on and off so as to conserve power. The handheld monitor also includes an alarm beeper or vibrator to alert the person monitoring the animal of a dangerous situation.