“Call animal control! We have a lost dog!”
Nothing is worst than getting lost.
Do you remember the feelings you had the last time you got lost? The anxiety? The confusion? The panic?
Now imagine your dog having those feelings.
Not a fun thing to think about, right?
Well, fortunately for you, we have some solid steps you can take to try to prevent a lost dog scenario from occurring.
Keep track
Even if you believe you’ve covered all your bases, it pays to double check and make sure your dog can always be accounted for or identified in case they slip free of your grasp. Some dogs are clever escape artists!
Famous dog whisperer, Caesar Milan, offers these five important tips to insure you will never lose your precious pup:
1. Have your dog microchipped
Tracking your missing dog has never been easier as technology provides us with the power of microchips -- more people have been reunited with their lost dogs.
If your dog loses its collar and ends up lost, a vet or shelter can still scan for the microchip. It will contain your dog’s name, your contact information, and your vet’s information.
So make sure your dog is microchipped. And if your dog is microchipped, double check to see that the device is still working from time to time and remember to update your contact details if they change! Better to be safe than sorry!
2. Make sure your dog tags are valid
You’d be surprised to know how many people do not have a secure collar or valid dog tag.
While most people use collars, you should consider a dog tag because they make it very easy for someone to immediately identify your dog and your contact details.
As back up, you can also write your phone number on the collar itself as a precaution.
3. Keep your backyard secured
One of the most common ways for a dog to get lost is when they escape your yard. It’s not that they are trying to escape -- they just want to explore other areas, too!
There have been plenty of cases where people find dogs wandering their neighbourhood and mistake them for strays, when really the dog accidentally just got out of their own property.
If you let your dog in the yard, make sure you have double checked the fencing around your property. Check the height and the stability of your fence. No use having one if the dog can jump over it or dig under it, or simply knock it over.
4. Neuter your dog
While spaying and neutering is important in preventing overpopulation, it can also keep more dogs from wandering off and getting lost.
When male dogs are not neutered, they have a higher tendency to seek out females because of natural sexual behaviour.
This means that an unneutered dog is more likely to wander off or escape from your home and get lost trying to seek out female dogs, leading to more risk of getting hit by cars.
So make sure your dog is neutered.
5. Be a watchdog
The easiest and surest way to keep your dog from becoming lost is being able to see where your pup is at all times.
Even if your pup is secure in your fully fenced in backyard, something could still happen. He or she could run out the gate. Your pup could dig a hole under the fence and go off exploring. Or even worse, someone could steal them.
Don’t lose sleep!
Make sure to keep a “lost” checklist handy. More importantly, make sure to review it often and to keep it up to date. Your fences might need some work or maybe you might have moved. It pays to keep everything current!
Do you have any tips on preventing a dog from becoming lost? Don’t hesitate on letting us know -- remember sharing is caring! Give us a bell us a bell on 09 448 2227.