There’s no better feeling than rescuing a pet. Whether it be adopting one in need of a home or finding a stray and re-connecting them with their owner. Recently a young dog showed up in my backyard. She was full of energy and very playful. She had a collar but unfortunately no tags or identification. It was Sunday and now I was faced with the predicament of what to do with her. Animal shelters were closed and I’m sure my cats would not have been impressed if I brought her into the house, but I couldn’t leave her out in the cold either.
I walked around the neighborhood to see if I could see her owners. Sure enough, a couple were scouring the neighborhood, frantically calling her name. When I approached them to let them know that she was safe and sound, they were so relieved. It was a happy ending!
It got me thinking though about how important it is for pets to have identification on them. Spring is here and like us, our pets are getting the itch to go outside. It is important that our little escape artists have a collar and tags with identification on them. West Hill Animal Clinic’s new rabies tags have a QR code on them. Once you first scan the code from your smartphone, and input your info, anyone who finds your pet can scan the code with their smartphone and your info will come up for them! The tags also have our clinic name and phone number and a tag number that our computer links to your pet. Another tag that is a good form of I.D. is the tag you get when you license your pet with the city. You can also have your own tag made through pet stores.
Even though all my cats are indoor cats, I had them all microchipped. It does not cost very much and because they do not wear collars, it’s a great form of identification if they were ever to run outside and get lost.
If you don’t want to put tags on or microchip your pet, you can also get collars that have your pets name and phone number embroidered right onto the collar. You can order those online from Lucky Pet. Hopefully, you will never lose your pet, but if it does happen, proper identification can get them safely back to you.
I.D. – don’t leave home without it!
