What hap
pens if your dog or cat gets out of the house accidentally, or perhaps tragic strikes while you’re traveling with your favorite companion and you become separated in a car accident or while camping? While these situations are not ideal and we don’t ever want anything bad to happen to you or your pet, reality is that sometimes life happens and we want your pet to be protected no matter what life circumstances you encounter.
Identification is CRITICAL for your pet in the event of a tragedy like described above. The best forms of identification are a collar, tag, and or microchip.
Collar with a Tag
A collar provides a visual if your dog suddenly becomes a stray and indicates to people that he/she is owned or belonged to someone at some point in its life. Embroidering contact information such as a phone or name onto the collar is one way to provide ID. Placing a tag with your phone contact or attaching the license of the pet on the collar is another. The only downfall to putting the license/rabies tag is that if your pet is found by a kind citizen, they will have no way of knowing who to contact unless they bring the dog to a veterinarian or animal shelter to research the tag information. A personal tag with your direct phone number is ideal so that anyone who finds your pet can contact you directly.
Microchipping
Our pets do some crazy things, and sometimes their collar or tag can become unattached, so a microchip will act as a back-up. A microchip is a small implant placed under the skin of the pet generally at the base of the neck. Once the microchip is registered with your contact information, it is stored in a database. If your pet should become lost and someone finds him/her, they can have them scanned, and your contact information is retrieved, and your pet is reunited with you. Microchips migrate over time so if the scanner is inexperienced and they do not scan the entire pet looking in places the microchip might have moved they could miss the chip. Also, not everyone will know to look for a microchip if they find your pet and he/she only has a microchip and no collar with a tag.
The Best Thing for Your Pet
Providing a collar with a tag and a microchip is ideal and covers all bases. Our pets are a part of our families, and the thought of losing them can be devastating. Protect your fur kids and provide them with proper identification to keep them safe just in case of an emergency.
