Piedmont Pets "TaggedIAM"
When your pet runs away, it can be traumatic. You drive around
for hours looking, calling its name, asking everyone questions. You post
pictures on street corners and you keep your phone by your side hoping
someone will call. It can take hours or days to get your pet back, if you're lucky.
You might even search out shelters all over town, hoping that your pet did
not stray too far.
But, did you know that 32% of dogs are found more than 10 miles from home?
Even when they are less than 10 miles from home, finding your lost pet can
seem like finding a needle in a haystack. What you have to remember is that
there is a very good chance that someone has seen your pet and possibly even
rescued it and taken it in. Pets that spend a lot of time indoors are
comfortable with humans and will often respond to people who approach them.
However, these good Samaritans are often uncertain of the best way
to reunite the found pet with its owner.
As a pet owner, when your pet is lost, you can either post information
all over your neighborhood, or you can consider getting a
locator tag. Most people who find your pet will instinctively reach out to
its collar to grab him. With a locator tag, they can access the contact
information through the internet and reunite you with your lost pet.
Why a tag rather than a microchip? Though microchips are very popular
and a useful way to have your information "implanted" in your dog, regular
people do not have access to the kinds of scanners that can read a microchip.
Furthermore, the person who finds your pet has no way of knowing if your
pet has an implanted chip or not; they would have to make a trip to a vet
or a shelter in order to find out. A locator tag is easily visible on the
collar and will allow someone to contact you, or people you know, in a matter of minutes or hours.
Did you know that microchips are not created equal? It's a real pity, but
there are different kinds of microchips that work with different kinds of
scanners. The microchip you implanted in your pet might only work at a
vet and not at a shelter. If they scan your pet with the wrong scanner
and don't receive any information, they might simply assume that your
pet has no microchip.
If your pet has a tendency to get out of the house or spends a lot
time outdoors, a locator tag works as an additional precaution that is
also easy to use, visible and accessible to anyone, should it get lost or
run away. The longer your pet is gone from home, the greater the chances
that it will end up in a shelter and possibly get euthanized. The sooner
your pet is located and you are contacted, the greater your peace of mind.