Responsible Pet Care

Editorial by
Carl J. Fergo, President
ASPCA Ani-Med
For Details, Contact
Dan Crandall, Founder
Pet*iD Short Cut Home

HURRICANES RAISE INTEREST IN PET TRACKING SYSTEMS

Imagine that you and your pet are involved in a catastrophic situation like the recent hurricanes. Or it could be a fire, car accident or something that separates you from your pets. Thousands of pets are destitute and homeless, and just as many pet owners distraught over the loss of their Best Friend.

Once your pet is lost, the clock starts ticking. A few things can happen. Most pets are found less than a mile from home, but many never are returned, either because the pet had no identification tag, or the tag was out of date and the owner could not be reached. Therefore, the faster the pet’s owner can be contacted, the greater the chances are of being reunited with their Best Friend.

If there is no tracking system in place, the pet stands little chance. If the person that finds your lost friend has too much difficulty with the system and is unable to reach an owner quickly, they may just move on. Many individuals finding a lost pet will, at best, provide care for a short period before they decide to keep the pet, or let the pet go. If the pet is turned in to a shelter and the owner is unaware, there’s a good chance it will be put to sleep. It’s a fact that only about 2 percent of cats and 16 percent of dogs turned in to shelters are reunited with their owners.

To help insure a pet’s safe and speedy return, all dogs and cats should wear a collar and pet ID tag fulltime, even pets living indoors.

ASPCA Recommends:

The ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) recommends that all pets have an up-to-date pet ID tag, with current contact information. This will provide the individual finding your lost pet with the basic information necessary to reach you. Studies show that the first thing that someone will do, when they find a lost pet, is to look for a tag. Although there is no perfect protection, the pet ID tag is the most widely accepted method for tracking lost pets. Stainless steel pet ID tags are the most reliable of all ID’s. No matter what system you use (pet ID tag, micro chipping or tattooing, etc.) your pet’s information must be up-to-date.

Ideally:

The Bottom Line for Pet Safety:

Pet ID tags are a must and the first level of protection for your pet. Although collars and tags are very reliable, they can be lost or misplaced. Therefore, you may also want to look at other safety options that can be used in conjunction with a pet tag. Two of the most effective methods are microchips and tattoos. Remember that microchips or tattoo numbers must be listed with the proper registry, and it is important that you keep the registry up-to-date with current phone numbers and addresses, so that you can be contacted should your missing pet be found.

Also, while micro chipping and tattooing are valuable backups, they do not replace the need for a pet ID tag and are not intended to quickly return your pet to you. If the individual finding a lost pet realizes that the pet has a microchip, they must then find and travel with that animal to an appropriate location (vet, shelter, etc.) where the microchip can be scanned or the tattoo number checked in a registry. These methods are valuable to shelters that might recover an animal with no pet ID tag, or a basic tag with out-of-date information, and thus would have no other way to contact the owner.

In A Nutshell:

Responsible pet ownership is to feed, water, shelter, love, neuter, spay and get a quality Pet*iD tag.

ASPCA Ani-Med says one of the leading pet ID tag companies in America, Pet*iD Short Cut Home offers the most advanced pet tracking system around.

Pet Publishing-Dog & Kennel Magazine says no system on the market allows for such comprehensive information to be delivered so quickly as Pet*iD Short Cut Home.

For more information, click onto www.petid.com