Rose is a lost dog in our area. Her owner’s are understandably worried and are doing everything in their power to find their little missing family member.
There are several ideas I would like to share to help prevent your pet from becoming missing. I have participated in countless reunions of lost pets and their human parents. The most common way of pet reunification, at least from my own experience, is wearing a rabies tag. I have to assume that those pets who wear their owner’s information are informed directly by the one who found the animal. But in the events where the owner’s tag is missing or nonexistent, hopefully a rabies tag is worn visibly. All of Bayshore Veterinary Clinic’s rabies tags contain our phone number and a unique rabies tag number. Usually, its a dog who got out, wanders the neighborhood, and is found by a neighbor. I once received a call from a lady in Texas who found a dog with our tag on! I also had someone call who found my then coworker’s dog on the loose! She was a bit embarassed, needless to say….
A trick I learned about the rabies tags is that they are pretty easy to scratch. Using a long nail, I was able to carefully etch my cat’s name and my phone number on the back of the tag. It’s not the prettiest, but it works for now. I would rather have an engraved name tag, as I’m sure most people would. I figure something is better than nothing!
Another great tool is a HomeAgain microchip. As most of us know, a microchip is a device implanted just under the skin. The chip’s number can be read using a microchip reader. The number is then relayed to a national database where the owner’s information is stored. The owner is contacted, and they are reunited shortly thereafter. I once met a nice couple who found a cat and brought her in to be scanned. It turned out the cat belonged to a little old lady whose cat had got scared and ran out the door. The lady though she would never see her again, but luckily for everyone, she chose to have the cat chipped during the spay surgery. For other heartwarming stories like this, visit the HomeAgain website: http://foundpets.homeagain.com/
The only problem with these preventions is that they can be foiled by someone with evil intentions. Unfortunately, thieves exist, and some steal animals. I hope this doesn’t happen to you, and I pray Rose is returned home soon!!
-Perry
Hospital Manager