LOST PET
Have you ever lost a dog or cat? It can be frightening, not only for
you
but for your pet. Ask yourself "if
my pet became lost how would
someone be able to get it back to me?" The most important thing you can
do
is to have proper identification on your pet. A dog might have a
rabies
tag or dog license on its collar for ID or maybe an ID with your
phone
number on it such as "If found
please call......" Remember ID's
get lost or collars come off, so
the best thing you can do is speak
with your veterinarian about
having your pet micro chipped. It is a
simple procedure where the vet
will put a small micro chip under your
pets skin and any animal
shelter or vet can scan your pet and receive
your information to get
in touch with you. Remember
that if you move
you must update your information with the micro chip
company or their
information
will be invalid to reach you.
The same can be done for cats.
Cats need a break away collar in case
they get hung up on something
if they are an outside cat or what I call
an "in-out" cat. If you live in a large city
the best thing for your
cat is to just keep it in, that way it is
protected from the outside
world of dangers.
If your pet turns up missing
notify your local animal shelter and
veterinarian immediately. It is
better for the "big bad dog
catcher" to
find your animal
alive and well and impound it than for the animal to
get injured or
possibly killed on a busy street. Be sure to have an up
to date
picture of your pet to show them and to post at their facility.
If
the pet is not found within a few hours it is a good idea to make a
"Lost Pet"
poster and hang several around your neighborhood.The more
eyes out
there watching for your pet the better. In my experience, I
have
found that animal lovers find stray pets and are reluctant to call
animal
control and they keep the pet and watch for lost posters so they
can
return the pet themselves.
If
you are traveling with your pet ID is vital. I have seen numerous
vehicle
wrecks where the owners dog was not secure in a pet carrier and
on a
leash and the dog, scared and sometimes injured runs away.
Sometimes
I get lucky and have a passerby stop and contain the pet
until
emergency crews arrive and they call me to pick up the pet and
hold
it for the owner. Cats are even worse if not in a good carrier
because
when they are frightened they run a long ways and won't come to
a
stranger.
Found
Pet
It
has been my experience over the years that pet lovers need some
assistance
on what to do when they find a pet roaming somewhere and
they fear
for it's life so they pick it up.
If
you
find a pet, the first thing you need to do is contact the local
authorities
and the animal control officer. This gives them the heads
up in case
the actual pet owner has called or calls looking for their
lost pet.
I know you do not like to relinquish the pet to the "big bad
dog catcher" but how else will the owner find
their pet? The shelter
will most likely be the first place they call
or check.
I
had
a pet lover come through our county several years ago and called me
and
said she had found a Blue Heeler
"somewhere in the middle of the
night
in Idaho" and wanted me to take
the dog and find the owner. I am
in Utah. The lady could not tell me
what town she had been near or what
highway she had been on. I
informed her that it would be impossible to
find the owner with such
little information. The lady asked if the dog
would be adopted out
and I explained to her that our county was so
small the chances were
slim. She became agitated and said that if that
was the case she was
not giving the dog to me and would take the dog
home with her to
California.
All
I
could think about was some family in Idaho looking for their Blue
Heeler
but it would never be found. I know it would have been an
inconvience
to this lady to stop in the next town in the middle of the
night to
contact authorities but if you want to help this found pet you
need
to go this extra step.
I
had
another pet lover during the summer who found a Shih-Tzu puppy
wandering
our streets at 10:00 PM near the McDonalds. She called our
dispatch
and I went out and retrieved the dog and took her information.
This
wonderful lady really wanted the puppy if no one claimed it. I
held
the puppy for 7 days, which is our impound time, and no one
claimed
it. I phoned the lady and she drove from Denver, Colorado to
adopt
the dog and has since emailed me pictures and I am happy to
report
the pup has a wonderful home. If this lady had taken the dog
home
with her in the beginning without contacting us you can see that
no
one would have been looking for this puppy but do you want to take
that
chance?
I
have
a number of dogs in our community that have turned up missing and
have
never been found. The owners
are heartbroken and after months
still lingering on the hope that
somehow their pet will turn up. They
have put ads in the local
newspaper, flyers all over town and called
outside shelters with no
luck. I ask myself "where did
these dogs go"?
We
had a Dutch Shepherd picked up on the freeway in Beaver, Utah by a
trucker
and he took the dog to an animal shelter in Salt Lake City. The
owner
had put tags on the dog and it was micro chipped so they were
contacted
and they drove 250 miles to pick up their dog and they were
thankful
to get it back. All the trucker had to do was contact us and
we
could of easily returned the dog to it's owner. What was the trucker
thinking?
Was he going to keep the dog for himself
and then changed
his mind?
A
Jack
Russell was reported in Mesquite, Nevada at the shelter there and
the
"finders"
had told the shelter worker that the dog had been found
in Beaver,
Utah. The shelter called me and we were able to reunite the
dog with
it's owners. The dog had a totally different harness on. Were
these "finders"
going to keep the dog and then had a change of heart"?
I
came in on a Monday morning to find on my voice mail that a lady had
found
a Shih-Tzu and had taken it home in case anyone called looking
for
it, she left her cell number and stated that she lived in
Wisconsin.
All I could do is shake my head in wonder. If the owners did
call how
were they going to retrieve their dog so many miles away. No
one
called looking for the Shih-Tzu but they could have checked the
shelter
and not seeing their dog there they didn't bother to call me. I
do
have to give the lady credit for leaving her information with us.
I
am
a high kill shelter. I hate it but we have more dogs and cats than
people
in our county and a high percent of irresponsible pet owners who
would
rather save a buck than pay to get their dog out of the shelter.
Part
of me is happy for that pet that was saved by the pet
lover.....but
my heart breaks to hear the sadness of those pet owners
who never
find their dog.
The
moral
to this information is "think
before you act on saving a pet".
Pretend
it is your pet. What would you wish the "finder" would do?
Safety
Tips
- Never
approach an unfamiliar dog
- If
approached by an unfamiliar dog, stand very still and never look a dog
in the eye
- Never run from an unfamiliar dog or
scream around a dog
- Children
should never play with a dog without an adult present
- If
you believe a dog is about to
attack you, try placing something between
yourself and the dog like a
backpack or bicycle. If the dog knocks you
down, roll into a ball
and cover your face and stay still
- Do
not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or has puppies
- Report any stray dog or dog acting
strangely to the authorities
- Never
leave an infant or young child alone with any dog, not even your family
pet
Safety
Tips for your Dog
- Keep
your dog healthy with regular check-ups with your vet and current
vaccinations
- Spay
and neuter your pet, it will prolong their lives and keep unwanted
puppies out of the animal shelters
- Socialize
your dog so it feels at ease around other people and other animals
- Follow leash laws and do not let your
dog roam free
- Do
not put your dog in situations where it could feel threatened or teased
- Train your dog the basic commands to
obey such as "sit, stay or come"
- Do
not play aggressive games with your dog not even tug at war
- Confine your dog in a fenced yard or
dog run when it is not in your home with you
- Never
chain your dog because this can contribute to aggressive behavior
- See your veterinarian promptly if
your pet becomes sick or injured. A sick or injured dog can be more
likely to bite
What
To Do If You are Bitten
- Seek
medical attention immediately
- Control
the bleeding and wash the area of the bite with soap and water
- Report the bite to authorities and
the animal control officer
- Provide
authorities
with an accurate description of the dog, dog owners name if
known
and the circumstances that led to the bite
Pet Info
