July 25th, 2018
What would you do if your pet went missing tomorrow? I know that for a lot of us, we think that it would never happen to us because we’re good pet owners. Unfortunately, lost pets can happen to anyone and it’s important to be prepared for when it happens.
In 2017 Almost Home received 2,156 stray pets. Of those pets brought in stray, only 30% were returned to their owner (58% of dogs and 6% of cats). Why aren’t most of these pets returned to their families? They are returned fastest when they’re wearing proper identification because with a microchip or tag with correct information, we can try to begin reuniting you with your pet as soon as it enters the building.
At AHHS our preferred form of identification is a microchip. Not only are they permanent, they can’t be lost or removed like a collar or tag. Microchips aren’t GPS trackers, but work more like a bar code that when scanned will connect your pet with your contact information. As long as your contact information is up to date, this is the fastest way for us to get your pet back to you.
We recommend that in addition to a microchip your pet also wear identification tags. A city license, rabies tag, identification tag or the microchip tag are all great ways to ensure your pet is properly identified. The more identification that your pet can wear, the better chance that it will be reunited with you quickly if it is lost. Also, be sure to update your information anytime it has changed.
Almost Home will microchip your pet for $20 during any of its open hours. For that one time $20 fee, your pet’s microchip will be registered in the national 24PetWatch database with up to two contact numbers. You will also have the ability to update your information for the lifetime of your pet through the 24PetWatch online portal. Those of us at Almost Home believe that is a small price to pay for the comfort in knowing your pet is easily identified if it is lost.
Filed in Health & Safety