Despite your best efforts as a pet owner, sometimes your pet can slip away in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace. So what happens when your dog is suddenly nowhere to be found? How do you get him/her back home safely? Here's a look at some of the most common and most effective ways of tracking and finding your dog.
You may have heard of one of the more recent forms of identification for dogs: microchipping. Microchipping has proven to be a great aid to being reunited with your pet. The good old-fashioned collar is still the best way to give your potential pet rescuer a quick and easy way to contact you, but that's only if the collar's still there. What happens when it slips off? Suddenly there is not a single trace of any identification to link your pet back to you. This is where a microchip can serve as a remarkable backup option. It's true, most families don't have a microchip scanner just hanging out in their garage, but a lot of shelters and vets offices are more than willing to scan the animal for free.
You may have heard of one of the more recent forms of identification for dogs: microchipping. Microchipping has proven to be a great aid to being reunited with your pet. The good old-fashioned collar is still the best way to give your potential pet rescuer a quick and easy way to contact you, but that's only if the collar's still there. What happens when it slips off? Suddenly there is not a single trace of any identification to link your pet back to you. This is where a microchip can serve as a remarkable backup option. It's true, most families don't have a microchip scanner just hanging out in their garage, but a lot of shelters and vets offices are more than willing to scan the animal for free.
Once the ID# is found, the rescuer can then proceed with entering the number into a pet finding site such as this one: http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/ . This may be a good time to mention that the actual planting of the chip (about the size of a grain of rice; administered by needle, usually on the top side of the dog's neck) is only half of the initial microchipping process. The second step is to register your pet online with registries such as this one: http://www.microchipregistrationcenter.com/index.html . When the rescuer finds your pet, they will be able to enter your pet's individualized ID# into the registries. You will then be alerted that your pet has been found.
Animal shelters check for microchips as well, but DO NOT assume that they will contact you. Be proactive and contact them. Visit your local shelters and vets offices with all of the appropriate information about your pet. This includes breed, color, size, age, name, microchip number, any identifiable markings, what type of collar your pet was wearing when he/she became lost, location last seen, and any other information you may find useful.
One more option, although newer and a bit pricier, is the GPS tracking collar. There are a few variations of this, which include buying a system that has it's own hand-held device for you to track your dog, or going through your phone provider, which would enable you to see your dog's location from your smart phone. This could be a valuable resource, and may prove to be a good fit for your family.
There are also many social networking sites full of good-hearted people who are more than willing to help spread the word of your lost pet. Let's face it, when your pet is missing, you want to pull out all the stops to bring them back safely. Bring yourself a little more peace of mind and prepare ahead of time by making sure your pet is well identified.
If they could just tell their rescuer their name and home address it would make the process a lot easier!! But since that's not an option, we must do what we can to prepare for any situation.
If they could just tell their rescuer their name and home address it would make the process a lot easier!! But since that's not an option, we must do what we can to prepare for any situation.
We wish the best to you and your pets!
Bridgette for the
Hidden Hollow Kennel family
