Pet Identification: Would Your Pet Make It Home?

Here at Found Animals we strongly believe in the importance of pet identification and the three forms of ID that we recommend for every pet. Because even sometimes the most vigilant and responsible pet owners are separated from their four-legged best friend. Sometimes the pizza delivery guy leaves the door open or a frightened pup makes a run for it after a fireworks show. Truth is pet owners just need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Proper pet identification is the best (and often only) way to ensure that your beloved pet finds their way home should they ever become lost or separated from you. And you, like most pet owners, probably already know that. So then why are the statistics on lost pets so depressing? Of animals that come into shelters, only some are reunited with their people. With high shelter euthanasia rates all over the country, many of these lost pets will lose their lives because they didn’t have identification that would allow shelter staff to contact their family.

Why don’t more people take care to ID their pets? My guess is because we all think it could never happen to us. We think that our pet is always in the house, or the yard, or that we are careful and responsible pet owners. “Surely my pet will never get lost.”

A particularly poignant story from 2011 highlights the fact that you just never know what will happen – to you or your pet. From amidst the destruction after the 2011 earthquake in Japan, came the miraculous story of this dog – rescued by the coast guard after nearly three weeks floating at sea in the remnants of a home. Unfortunately, there was no identification on the collar he was wearing which will make it difficult for authorities to reunite him with his family. How sad that after surviving the earthquake and tsunami, this lucky pup may never make it home for the simple lack of identification! You can read the full story here.

Take some time to be sure that your pet is protected. Found Animals recommends that all animals have three forms of pet identification at all times:

1. An ID Tag on their collar with your contact information
2. A license or registration with your local municipality
3. A microchip with current information in a registry database 

Does your pet have all three types of ID? Are they all up to date?