The dog is missing: Someone left the door open, he jumped the fence, dug under the gate, leaped out of a window ……….. He’s gone!
When you are traveling with your dog this scenario is even more scary because there is no way he is just exploring the neighborhood and will find his way back to your front door by himself. He’s nowhere near his home!
Just as you have a responsibility of providing food, water, and shelter to your pet, you also need to act in his best interests to keep him safe. Tags, microchips, and trackers are essential dog and cat accessories.
Collar and Tags
Tags on a collar are the first line of defense. It is a sad but true fact, but if a pet is running around in the street most people will not want to deal with the inconvenience of trying to help it (what if it’s not really lost, I don’t want to take it to the shelter, I don’t want to be stuck with it ….) – but if a collar and tags are visible – someone is more likely to be a ‘hero’ if there is clearly a better possibility of a happy outcome. Collars and tags are fundamental and very easy to obtain. Please do not let your pet leave home without one.
Microchips are Essential
Please microchip your pet (dogs and cats). Your vet can do it. Shelters will do it too, and make sure your information is correct and updated. A microchip is a radio-frequency identification transponder that carries a unique identification number, and is roughly the size of a grain of rice. It is injected under the loose skin between the animal’s shoulder blades and can be done in your vet’s office or at an animal shelter. There are many a story about lost dogs and cats being returned to their owners, sometimes after having been missing for years, as a result of a microchip.
Know Your Dog
We had a black lab mix who spent the first few months of its lives living off scraps in the woods with little to no human contact. The dog was semi-feral (maybe mostly feral) when we adopted her from a rescue organization that had to actually shoot her with a tranquilizing dart to rescue her (such was her aversion to humans). She had a tendency to run and would never go to a strander for help. In that dog’s mind everything was a ‘trap’ and everyone was ‘out to get her’. She was not a good candidate to travel on holiday with us. Know your dog before you take him anywhere. Given that she lived most of her life in survival mode and was a ‘runner’ we put a GPS tracking collar on her that we got from Whistle. They have great matching collars and accessories too. If your dog has a tendency to ‘run’ please take extra precautions.
Tracking Lost Dogs with Technology
The GPS Whistle tracking device – you use it from your smartphone – gives peace of mind in the event of loss. You can track your dog in real-time.
Once the dog is lost there are various apps that are helpful:
Finding Rover – uses facial recognition to reunite dog with owner.
Pet Amber Alert – uses amber alert technology to spread the word about a lost pet.
Paw Boost – Post, Promote, Reunite is their mission and they have various free tools to help make flyers to go about finding your pet as soon as possible.
If You Find a Missing Animal
If you find an animal that is lost please remember your first and foremost intention must be to return it to its owner. Tags and microchips are essential in the race to return as quickly as possible.
Please read this vital information put out by Maddie’s Fund : Good Intentions Can Go Very Wrong When You Find a Lost Pet.