We consider our pets family members, as many people do.

Thinking about your beloved pet, what would you not do to find them if they were lost? A pet owner’s worst nightmare, not knowing where your pet is or knowing your pet has disappeared without a trace. Here are a few things to do to keep from misplacing your pet or things that can help if your pet is lost to you at some point.

It is always a good idea to keep a current picture of your pet, not that most pet lovers do not have plenty of these. But as your pet grows and ages, you need to take new pics to be sure you have a current picture. It is very little good to show a picture of your missing pet around if your pet is 5 years old and 95lbs but the picture you have is your pet at 6 months old and 20lbs. People may be able to get a general idea of your pet’s color or breed but not a good idea. Make sure to keep a current picture with you at all times. Again, this is something most pet lovers do and with cell phones, most pet lovers have several pictures. A hard copy picture is also a good idea in case you need to make flyers to hand out. Yes, people still do that.

Another way to safeguard your pet from being missing for long is a microchip. Microchips are not just for the “posh pet”. Microchips can be used on most any pet. Chips are an added safety measure for any pet owner. If you love your pet enough to want it back if it goes missing, a microchip is a must. Chips are not a guarantee that you will get your pet back but it makes the chances go up drastically.

There are several kinds of chips but the most common is a microchip under the skin. They are the size of a grain of rice. Any vet or rescue group can chip your pet in mere minutes. It is a quick needle stick and the chip is in, under your pet’s skin. The chip will not bother the pet and you can not see or feel it once it is in. The chip is not detectable without a chip reader. These chips are not like GPS chips that can track you. These chips are like store bar codes. With a chip reader vet, rescues, and animal controls can scan your pet, get the number and call the chip company to get the owner’s info. The chip company, there are several different ones, store the owner’s info and can give it to authorized persons only. With these kinds of chips, if you lose your pet, you can call the chip company to alert them that your pet is missing and they can put out a missing alert. If your pet is found by animal control or a person that takes your dog to a vet or a rescue group, they can call the company and get your owner info. The finder then calls the owner with the info provided by the chip company and lets you know that your pet was found and where you can collect it.

There are several companies you can lookup on-line to decide which company is best for you and your pet. Some options that we have used or seen used are:

Home Again 888/466/3242

24 Hour Pet Watch 866/597/2424

AKC Reunite 800/252/7894

This, of course, only works if the owner info is kept up to date. And if you have the number available.  It is best to keep your pets’ chip number somewhere safe, like with your other family papers.  This way you can find it quickly if you need it. If you are moving or getting a new phone number, you must call the chip company and let them know about the change so they can update your owner records. Same goes if you give your dog to someone else, the chip company must be alerted so they can change the records. With these kinds of chips, there is no automatic update so you must remember to do it. It is very sad for a pet to be picked up, have a chip but the info is wrong. In these cases, there is no way to find the owner and the pet is still considered a stray. Hundreds of pets die in animal control every year that are chipped. Hundreds of pets every year, are adopted through rescues, even though they have a chip. Owners care enough about their pets to chip them but then forget to update their info and the pets are still lost with no way to find the owners. There are few things more frustrating for animal control and rescue that having a pet that is chipped, knowing it has a home and an owner looking for it but that pet still dies in animal control, due to bad chip info.

It is so very important to update your info regularly. This goes for civilians and the military alike. If you are in the military and are moving around, as most military families do, updated info is still important. When chipping your pet, you can add several points of contact on your chip info with the chip company. It is best to have at least 2 contacts but you can add 4 or 5 if needed. When you are moving often, you should have as many contacts for your pet as you can on file. You should have your current info, your back home info if you have one, one or more family members can be on file as well as your vet, best friend, or a trusted co-worker. The more people the chip company can contact the better. Hopefully, one of these people will know where to find you or can pick up your pet quickly, if you can not.

Rescue groups use chips to keep up with their adopted pets. This way, if a pet is found and an owner is not available, the rescue will make arrangements for that pet’s safety. In case of emergency, animal control can call the original rescue about the pet. If a pet is adopted and then moves with its owner out of state the chip is still good. If the info is not updated and the pet picked up, the chip will be directed back to the original rescue.   In cases of out of state moves, the owner should call the original rescue to let them know the pet is missing and give the rescue current info. Many pets have moved with owners and the pet gets away from its new home. It is common for pets to get confused when they move to a new place or state. If the info has not been updated, your pet could be a mile down the road with no way to contact you. This is also common and frustrating for the owners and the rescues.

As noted at the beginning, there are several kinds of chips. Along with the chip under the skin that we have discussed, there are collars with electronic GPS trackers and tags with trackers. These kinds of trackers are more expensive to buy and you have to get an account with a tracking company. Usually, the account is like a monthly or yearly subscription that you re-subscribe to in order to keep the tracking system working. With this kind of tracker, you must be sure to keep the collar or tag on your dog all the time and make sure your batteries are fresh. It does you and your pet no good if the collar is sitting next to you at home and not on your pet. If your pet goes missing you can usually pull up an app to quickly see exactly where your dog is on a map. Some of these are basic directional maps but some, the more extensive ones, will show you an exact spot on a local map. These kinds of trackers are a must faster way to find and collect your pet, than the regular microchip under the skin, but again much more expensive to buy and to maintain. There are several companies you can lookup on-line to decide which company is best for you and your pet.

If you have more than one pet or if you can not afford it, trackers may not be practical. If you are a pet owner that loves your pet and wants the best for them, there are several other ways to help keep your pet safe. Of course, not loosing ones pet is always the goal but even the most careful pet owner can loose a pet through unforseen circumstances. To help with the quick and safe recovery of your pet, there are a couple simple things to do. Always have a collar on your pet, no matter if you are at home or out. Many pets go missing from their homes, gates are left open, visitors make a mistake, workmen come in and out or the pet is prone to “walk-abouts”. It is very common for pets to become afraid in storms or around fireworks. Of course, many pets get away from their owners when traveling, the pets get confused or afraid in unfamiliar places. So always keep a collar on your pet. Be sure to keep the pets i.d. tags on the collar. When a pet goes to the vet and gets a rabies vaccine, the vet will issue a tag with a distinct number for your pet. This tag normally has the vets name and phone number and the pets i.d. number. With this tag, a finder can call the vet and give them the number and the vet can pull up the info on file for the owner. The rabies vaccine is re-done yearly so be sure to change the tags every year to the current years’ tag. This will go a long way to helping get your pet back to you. But only if you keep the info current.

You can buy i.d. tags to put on your dog’s collar yourself from several different companies. Most vets, Pet Smarts, Pet Co, and other pet supply stores have a machine to make these i.d. tags quickly while you wait.  Jeffers catalog and Oriental trading both can make these tags for you. The price is usually very reasonable. These are usually metal tags that can be printed with your info. These tags come in all kinds of colors, shapes, and sizes for a more personal fashion touch.   This kind of tag can also be attached directly onto your pets’ collar.  This beaded on type tends to be harder to lose or damage.   It is a good idea to have one of these on your pet’s collar for direct contact with you.  It is best to have your pet’s name and your phone number.  Many people put all kinds of other info, their name, their pets info or other info like that.  But truly the 2 most important pieces of info are the pets’ name and your phone number.  Make sure it is a current phone and one you will have with you.

I know it may seem like overkill to have a personal i.d. tag with your info, a vet tag with the vets’ info, a micro-chip and or a tracker but each one of these makes it that much easier to find you and get your pet back to you. It is not uncommon for one or more of these tags not to be usable. The tags can be pulled off the collar. The tags wear out, the info printed on them wears off, the vet tag numbers change by the year. There are many ways tag info is not readable. If you have a tracking collar and the collar somehow is not on your pet or the batteries are dead, it becomes of no use at all. So a manual tag is a good back up in case something goes wrong with your electronic tracker. In short, the more ways you have i.d. on your pet and the more info on file for your pet, the better chance you have of getting your pet back quickly. But again, none of this is any good if your info is not kept up to date.

Another great way to keep your pet from disappearing is to rely on your neighbors. If you live in a gated community or a neighborhood, the people that live there with you are a great resource when your pet goes missing. Even in a small town or in the country, the people living around you can be a big help. If you are a good, friendly neighbor and your pet is friendly and outgoing, your neighbors will know you and know your pet. More often than not, if someone sees a pet that they know and that they know should not be out alone, they will pick it up and take it home. If your pet goes missing, you can send out a call to your neighborhood and have many sets of eyes looking out for your pet. Many of your neighbors may even join the search for your pet, the more feet on the ground the better.

I know this seems like a lot to think about but your pet is worth it. You may already be doing some of these things or all of them. But everything you do in prevention is one more way to get them back safely and quickly if you do lose your pet. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of medicine and that holds true for many things. Please remember to think of your pets’ safety when you are going about your life, moving, or having a special event. Your pet will not always understand or be comfortable with new or unfamiliar people or things. Things you take for grantees may send your pet over the edge.

I hope this will give you some things to think about. I also hope you will use or already do use some of these suggestions to ensure the safety of your loved ones.

Thank you for reading and please come again for another edition of Out Standing in the Field.