Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Why Not Collar and Tag Your Pets?
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July 29, 2012 at 6:12 pm #604178
RainierMemberAs an animal lover, I take a look at the missing pets section of the WSB daily and am disheartened at the number of pets who may be chipped but do not have a collar and tags. Why would a pet owner forgo the easiest way for their pet to be identified? Even those who have the inclination to help may not have the resources (vehicle, time..) or are reluctant to round up a suspected stray and take it to a vet to be checked for a chip but would check the tag and call or walk it home. It’s especially hard to know if a cat is lost or just friendly. If it has a tag, I can check that it is in the vicinity of its home, if it doesn’t but seems otherwise healthy, I just cross my fingers that it didn’t need my help. Even my indoor cats have tags, for that one time they slip out and I need help finding them. After all, nobody plans to lose their pets.
July 29, 2012 at 9:22 pm #765338
hammerheadParticipantWhile collars and tags are great, they fall all the time. Microships are the best way but if the cat is taken by a coyotes is doesn’t matter what type of identification is on that cat or dog.
Most of the time the animal is scared and will run when some one is trying to help it. Lord knows it happens to me all the time.
Sadly a lot of the times the numbers are disconnected, and microships are not registered which again is the humans fault and more often the poor animal is abandoned.
FCAT
July 29, 2012 at 10:56 pm #765339
anonymeParticipantI agree with Rainier. Microchips should be in addition to collars and tags, not instead of them. Even if they do come off occasionally, the scenario described is a common one; animal is lost, good samaritan wants to help but perhaps does not have the time or means to take the animal to a vet to be scanned. I’m guessing many more pets might find their way home more quickly if this common sense approach were used. Not that common sense is a trait widely utilized by the human species…
July 31, 2012 at 5:01 pm #765340
furryfacesParticipantRainier,
You are absolutely spot on. If dogs and cats are clearly, visually identified, it is much easier for the average person to help them find their way home, or just confirm that the cat hanging out on your sunny sidewalk lives two doors down and is not a stray.
The single, most effective pet identification method is a tag on a collar that includes your pet’s name and your current phone number. It is your pet’s first line of defense and a free ride home! If someone finds your pet, they call you and your pet never enters the shelter. If your tagged pet does end up at a shelter, it will be safe and warm until the shelter calls you. Without any identification, (tag, microchip, license), the reunite with owner rate for cats is less than 3% and for dogs it is between 13% – 15%. This means that 98% of lost cats and 85ish% of lost dogs never return home.
Although collars and pet id tags do come off/are sometimes lost, they are still the #1 way lost animals are reunited with their humans. Studies by Ohio State University (Vet School) and other Vet Schools/Organizations reflect:
–75% of cats will keep their collars on
–80% of pet owners believe it is important for pets to wear a collar/id tag, yet only 33% provide their pets with this form of id.
— When used, micro chipped pets have the highest return rate. In a recent 2011 study, it was found that less than 5% of pets are micro chipped. This number is starting to increase as shelters and rescue groups start to microchip their animals prior to adoption.
–#1 problem with microchips is that people don’t keep their contact information updated. If you change your phone number and/or address, please remember to update the microchip registry.
–When indoor only cats accidentally get outside, they usually hunker down because they are terrified and need to be trapped. Sometimes these scared cats are mistaken for feral or as under socialized strays and end up at the shelter/ a rescue group. If they had on a collar with a tag (and micro-chipped as a backup), they would be returned home.
All of the above reasons are why Furry Faces Foundation recently launched our new pet retention program, ‘Tag Your Pet…It Ain’t Graffiti’. We want to increase the likelihood of all lost animal companions being reunited with their people. A generous supporter donated a new IMARC pet tag engraving machine to our group so we are now providing quality, aluminum pet tags for just $5.00 each. Our goal is to make pet id tags very affordable to the average person and to provide a collar and tag at no charge to pets whose people are financially restricted.
https://www.facebook.com/furryfacesfoundation?ref=ts#!/events/461329507220286/
Whether you purchase your pet tag from us, a pet supply store, or online, please consider always having a collar and pet id tag on your pets, even if they are indoor only because indoor animals get out.
Cheers, The F3 Gang
Remember, It’s Hip To Be Snipped
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