House Calls 4 Pet Sitting

Lost Pet Prevention

lost pet prevention

 

Take some preventative measures which may help you if your pet (Dog or Cat) ends up missing or lost. The following Lost Pet Prevention suggestions may be of help to you or your pet sitter in finding your lost pet:

For you, your pet sitter and your pets sake make sure your pet wears some form of identification. You might want to permanently identify him by having him tattooed or having a special microchip identification device implanted underneath his skin. Your pet is then automatically registered with an identification service.

  1. Information on Microchip 
      • AVID chips in California: (714) 371-7505; nationwide (800) 336-AVID or (800) 434-2843.
      • Destron Fearing: Destron chips are marketed by Schering-Plough Animal Health and the database is maintained by the American Kennel Club: (800) 252-7894.
      • IdentIchip in Scottsdale, AZ: (800) 926-1313 (uses AVID and Destron chips). (National and International Registries provide programs for breeders, shelters, and vets.)
      • InfoPet in Pennsylvania: (612) 890-2080 or (800) 463-6738 (uses Trovan chips) and is endorsed by American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
      • Home AgainTM, microchip registry in conjunction with the AKC (for both purebred and mixed breed dogs): (800) 252-7894 or info@akc.org
  2. Information on Tattoos Pet Registry
      • National Dog Registry (NDR) New York: (800) 637-3647 / (800) NDR-DOGS. Usually, people register their social security number with the NDR. However, they will register any number.
      • Tattoo-A-Pet is a National Registry: (800) 828-8667
      • U.S. Found Maryland: (410) 557-7332
      • The American Kennel Club (AKC) will help locate the owner if the dog is tattooed with the AKC number: (800) 252-7894. An AKC tattoo normally has two letters, then 6 digits and a two digit trailer, e.g., HM 010101-01 or HM 010101/01 or HM 01010101.
      • ID Pet: (800) 243-9147 or (203) 327-3157. ID pet numbers normally begin with an “X”
      • National Greyhound Association (NGA) is the registry for racing greyhounds: (913) 263-4660. Racing greyhounds are always identified by tattoos in both ears. The right ear tattoo is a two or three digit number followed by a letter. The month of birth is indicated by the first one or two digits, the year of birth within the decade by the last digit. The letter is the individual identification within the litter. The left ear tattoo is a five digit number which is the hound’s litter number. For example, the right ear may read 123E, and the left ear may read 45678.
      • Canadian Kennel Club (CKC): (416) 675-5511. Dogs bred in Canada and registered with the Canadian Kennel Club are generally tattooed in one ear or the flank. The tattoo is made up of three parts. First is a three character letter-number sequence which is the identification code of the breeder. This is followed by a number which is generated sequentially and refers to the number of dogs the breeder has registered that year, this is followed by a letter representing the year the dog was born. These letters are determined by CKC and some letters are not used. The most significant part is the initial, three character letter-number sequence. This identifies the breeder. An example of a CKC number: 7MR 1 C.
  3. Information on Pet ID Tags
    1. Collars and tags are a reliable way to identify your pet should they become lost. Make sure your dog or cat always wears a collar with a current identification tag. Pet supply catalogs and stores, veterinary offices, and animal shelters often have forms to order ID tags. The tag should include:
      • Pet’s name
      • Owner’s name and address
      • Telephone numbers (day and evening)
      • Medical problem requiring medication
      • Veterinarian’s name and number
      • Current Rabies vaccination information
      • Reward offer should pet become lost
      • If your dog is microchipped, which experts recommend, you should attach a second tag to your pet’s collar that lists the microchip company’s name and phone number.
  4. Information on Microchip versus Tattoos
Be sure to license your pet . Shelters hold licensed pets a few days longer than unlicensed ones.
How to Find Your Lost Pet.  Keep your pet current on his rabies vaccines, and keep his rabies certificate on file with his license number and a complete description and photograph.
  • Begin searching immediately all areas of your house, yard, and your neighborhood–several blocks in all directions.
  • If your pet is not found immediately, begin making posters which include your pet’s picture, a complete description, and your phone numbers at home and work.
  • Click here is how to make your lost pet (Dogs, Cats)  flyer.
  • Lost A Pet Visit the surrounding animal shelters.  A personal visit is better than a phone call.
  • Click here to find your local animal shelter.  Animal Shelters
  • Place a classified ad in the local paper in the Lost and Found section.
  • Click here to place a classified ad for lost Pets.   Lost Pets (Dogs or Cats)
Remember, a lost pet can wander the streets for weeks or months, so continue searching in the neighborhood, in the paper, and at shelters.
When your pet is found at a shelter, you must provide proof of ownership, license number, rabies certificate, photograph or description, and AKC papers (if available).   You will be required to renew expired licenses or rabies certificates. You will also have to pay impound and boarding fees.
If you or your pet sitter are still looking for your lost pet, do not give up hope.  Often people will keep a stray for weeks in hope of finding the owner, so your reunion with your pet may happen when you least expect it.Please share and comment!  Thank you, Debbie June Rickman Laughlin
FYI: Did you know you can hire a Lost Cat Finder? Pet detectives get dozens of requests of “Help me find my pet” every day.
House Calls Offers pet sitting and dog walking services:
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Post Comments

Great blog post Debbie, and so important! Having a pet missing is the worst feeling in the world. These are great tips. Another thing I might add (as a pet sitter) is that if clients do not have an ID tag on their dog, I have a clip-on tag that has my company name and phone number on it so at least they can contact me. Another thing I have seen is ID tags only having the pet owners home phone number. It’s a good idea to have a cell phone number because if your pet is lost you will probably be out looking when someone calls! I also think micro chipping is important. Be sure to keep your microchip info current!

Kelly Hall on June 19, 2014 at 4:11 am

Thank you Kelly. What a great idea to add your company name and phone number. I agree owners should add their cell phone number and to keep their microchip information up to date.

Debbie June Rickman Laughlin on June 19, 2014 at 2:24 pm

[…] Lost Pet Prevention […]

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Thank you Lisa and Lu !!!

We moved to a new house so we lost our precious friend who babysitted our boy for 8 years. It was hard to even think about any vacation because it meant we had to find the best babysitter for Leonardo. My friend highly recommended Lisa Burks and her company House Calls 4 Pet.  Just talking to Lisa first... More

Thank you Yuliana, for taking the time to share your experience with the care of your special boy while you were away!

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