On Top of Old Smoky: Missing Pets

On top of old Smoky? No, atop Mt. Fuji, Japan

As parents with children know, with gradually increasing increments of freedom there is a fine line between exploring and belong lost. When I was a child in Cary, my siblings and I complained about the distance from our home on Cornwall Road to Cary Elementary – a distance of less a mile. Thirty years later my son never walked to school even when it was less than a mile.

When Jason attended college at the University of South Carolina, his sophomore and senior years were spent in the international business program at China University Hong Kong. It was not unusual for us during those years to receive a post card from a UNESCO cultural heritage site with the header” Greetings from the Philippines,” for example. To our surprise we thought he was in his dorm room for the weekend.

As a child, we kept him on a short leash and told him if he got lost to go to a fire station. To emphasize it, my husband I even had a birthday party at the Apex Fire Station. Jason progressed from the short leash, to a flexible lead, to off lead, and then in a moment, out into the world.

Although romantic imagery, the truth is that it is terrifying to be missing child. Sure, smart phones and GPS in bracelets and shoes have helped, but disappearances still happen. So what happens when it is your pet that escaped out the door?

WHAT ARE SOME QUICK ACTIONS TO TAKE WHEN YOU ARE MISSING A PET?

1.    Walk and drive through your neighborhood several times a day. Enlist friends to help.

2.    Speak to your neighbors and solicit help to survey the area.

3.    File a lost pet report to animal control and shelters within a 50 mile radius. Visit local ones daily.

4.    Contact veterinarians within a 30 mile radius. Found animals are often dropped off at a veterinarian rather than a shelter. 

5.    Advertise by placing flyers using a recent photo of your pet in public places within 5 miles: neighborhood entrances, pet stores, grocery stores, coffee shops, and drug stores with public bulletin boards.  However, when describing your pet leave out ONE DETAIL /CHARACTERISTIC and ask the person who finds your pet to describe it TO AVOID SCAMS. Kinko’s and other similar places can generate a large number of flyers quickly. Take out ads in local newspaper (not classified section) and monitor LOST & FOUND sections.

6.    Use the Internet: Craig’s list, The Center for Lost Pets, and Fido Finder. List of the sex, age, weight, breed, color, and any special markings.

7.    Lost Pet Recovery systems. These are alert services that owners contract for a fee, and success rate varies. 

8.    Consider leaving food and water outside in case there is a night time visit. Use a humane trap borrowed from local shelters.

9.    Beware! There are cruel people that prey on vulnerable people, especially pet owners, and seek money without even having your pet. (Techniques such as found and took to their home in a distant city, need money for a crate to send home or veterinary care are common.)

WAYS TO ID YOUR PET

The common methods are id tags on collars, tattoos, and more commonly, implanted microchips (last approximately 25 yrs.). It is important to register your pet’s microchip with the microchip company. Options are a onetime registration fee vs an annual fee. Be sure to ask if the chip implanted works with a universal scanner.

WHAT IF YOU MOVE?

It is important to notify the registry company (most can do on line) with the change of address. A move is sadly an excellent opportunity for a beloved pet to escape.

Is there a good template for lost pet posters?

www.lostapet.org ( Missing Pet Partnership) is a good source. On the flyer for your missing pet list the sex, age, weight, breed, color, and any special markings. Provide a contact number. Once found, take down the flyers!!!!!!!!!

Betsy Sigmon DVM, Diplomate American Board of Veterinary Practitioners

Hospital Director, Creature Comforts Animal Hospital

 Taco Belle on top of Mt. Mitchell

I had a few questions from last week about the photo of my brother and I. I thought I would add a grow up photo for those who inquired about the doctors in the house.