July is dedicated to being National Lost Pet Prevention Month, and it is truly a very important topic. Did you know that in the United States there is a pet that goes missing every two seconds, meanwhile only one out of every ten lost pets becomes reunited with its owner?
As such, it is crucial to be aware of ways by which you can help to prevent your pets from becoming lost. Listed below are a few suggestions:
Positive Training
It has been shown that dogs and cats tend to respond well to positive reinforcement or a rewards system. Instead of scolding your pet when (s)he tries to escape, reward them for listening, coming over to you when you call them, and so forth.
Always Use a Leash
When you are out and about with your pet in an area that is not fenced in, make sure to keep them on a leash to prevent them from running off to chase a squirrel or other distraction and ending up becoming lost.
Pet-Proof Your Home
This is a very key step in order to prevent your pet from being able to escape. Make sure that all doors (including any screen and storm doors you may have) are all securely latched, and that any windows that are at ground level remain closed. If you do need to keep your door open for a prolonged period of time, make sure to keep your pet in a secure place such as a closed-off room or an escape-proof crate for the time being.
Plan Ahead for Noise Events
You should know your pet fairly well and the level of bother that they experience with loud noises, such as thunderstorms. As a result, you should be able to know their triggers and be prepared at times when those noises are prevalent - such as during Fourth of July firework shows. In addition to this, it is very important for you to still keep your pet in mind during high noise events even if you have never noticed signs of noise anxiety before in your pet. Make sure that they are safe and their anxiety is reduced as much as possible during times like this, as well as that they are in a place that is escape-proof.
Another way that you can reassure that your pet will be able to be reunited with you in the case that they do get lost is by getting an Intellitag for them. Intellitag is simple to use and creates the best chances of pets and owners becoming reunited. Every Intellitag comes engraved with the pet’s name, a unique 8-digit identification number, and the URL of petnotify.com/found. In the case that your pet gets lost, the rescuer will be able to go to the website from this URL and input the information from the Intellitag, then Pet Notify will immediately send phone, text, and email alerts to you while simultaneously sending the rescuer any lost pet instructions that you inputted into your pet’s vault. In addition to this, if you do not respond within fifteen minutes, your emergency contact will be notified as well to help you become reunited with your pet.
Do not fall victim to losing your pet by being caught off guard and unprepared. Many owners think that this is something that will not affect them, simply because their pet is well-behaved and has never run away before. Sadly that is not the case, and life is full of unexpected happenings. In addition to this, simply having a phone number on your pet’s tag sometimes is really not enough, though it is important. Unlike having Intellitag, merely an engraved phone number on a tag will not provide the pet rescuer with pet care instructions nor an emergency contact in case you are not available. It also does not provide the convenience of being reached by phone, text, and email alerts simultaneously with the information regarding your pet’s pickup location and rescuer's name. Microchips are also necessary to serve as a backup to the ID tag that your pet has, but it is quite a risk to rely solely on that. Not only do you have to hope that someone will take your pet to a veterinarian or shelter for the microchip to be scanned, but also microchips are only successful in reuniting families 52% of the time, due to the fact that they can become undetectable as they move in the pets’ body. In addition to this, some rely on GPS devices to reunite their pets with them in case of the pet becoming lost, but the reality is that the GPS devices are not only costly, but they also have short battery lives. As well as this, a GPS device does not provide the rescuer with the care interactions like Intellitag does nor does it have the ability to send automated lost pet communications to you and an emergency contact to ensure that your pet returns back to you as quickly and safely as possible.
Overall, it is very beneficial to have multiple forms of identification on your pet, such as microchips, ID tags on the collar, and so forth, but we truly believe that having an Intellitag is the best thing that you can do to rest assured knowing that if your pet does become lost, you have the best chances of becoming reunited.
Sources
https://www.petnotify.com/how-intellitag-works
https://www.petnotify.com/faq-detail#Intellitag
https://kristenlevine.com/lost-pet-prevention-month/
Diana G.
