Preparedness can make tough times easy!
For me, I took the advice of a dear friend, who was also a fellow dog fanatic, and started keeping a spare slip lead in my car. My friend recommended this as a means to be prepared should someone ever encounter a lost dog.
For my unexpected new friend Teddy and his humans, it was having a very clear dog tag!
I was driving down Main Street and saw Teddy sniffing along the side of the road, having a great time. However, he had no leash and there were no owners in sight.
I pulled to the side of the road in seconds and Teddy was pumped. He thought I was taking him for a ride! (No stranger danger with this guy.)
Thankfully, I was able to grab the slip leash, put it on him, and get him in my car to keep him safe.
From there, I called the two numbers on his tag. The first call was to his mom. I left a voicemail. The second was to his dad, who answered after 1 ring.
The leash to secure Teddy and the clear tag with phone numbers meant that I could reunite him with his dad in under 5 minutes!
As his tag informed me, Teddy likes to sneak out on adventures from time to time. He also likes to lick.
I was so grateful for his tag. I’ve encountered many loose dogs. I always grab them to get them to safety. This is only the second time that I have been able to call a number on a dog’s tag to reunite them with their owner.
Microchips are great. My dog has one, but it needs to be scanned by someone with a chip reader such as an animal rescue, a veterinary office, etc. That means getting the dog to that location (if they’re open), getting them scanned, and hoping that the digital information on the chip has been updated with a current phone number.
GPS collars (my dog has a Fi collar) are fantastic for an owner to locate their dog when they’ve gone missing.
While I recommend and use both of the above, the MOST important thing is to have a clear tag on your dog. That way, should someone encounter them loose, they can call you right away.
Trust me, you’ll be glad that the finder could call you the second they spot the number on your dog’s tag!
#dogs #dogtags #preparedness #animals #rescuedog
Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences | Conservation | Outreach Education | Field Technician | Outdoor Industry
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