I know I talk a lot about properly ID-ing pets and making sure the address and phone number are current on the tags and with the microchip company. In fact, I recently wrote a blog post about shelter pets and how many end up there because they are lost, stray and improperly ID'd.
But one of my sitters this week encountered a loose dog and because the dog had tags on his collar that went directly to a working phone, she was able to return him safely...Bringing me to the story of Colt.
My sitter was caring for two sweet dogs in a beautiful neighborhood and they were out for their bedtime stroll. Often taking different walking routes, the sitter took them around a new cul-de-sac so the boys could get some new smells when a golden doodle, Colt, came running up to them.
Luckily, Colt was friendly and not aggressive towards the smaller dogs the sitter was walking. It was also lucky that the two dogs in our care were social and no dog fight broke out. As a rule in my pet sitting business, I do not allow sitters to let pets in our care socialize with anyone else's pets. Never. I do not like risking the safety of the sitter or any pets.
So when Colt decided he wanted to join them on their evening walk, this complicated the rule a bit.
The sitter, doing everything correctly, looked around for help, but nobody was around. Colt had come from somewhere but where? The sitter was unsure and all she was concerned about was getting the two dogs back home safely, only then would she decide how to handle Colt.
The sitter picked up the older, slower-moving of the two dogs and quickened the pace. They were not far from the house but Colt was with them step for step, poor guy just really wanted to have a walk too!
After putting the dogs safely in the house, the sitter turned to find Colt sitting right outside the open garage door, wagging his tail, tongue hanging out of his mouth.
The sitter grabbed an extra leash and walked over, letting Colt get a better sniff of her hand, she rubbed his ears, attached the leash and searched for his ID tags. Colt spent this time trying to give kisses and become a lap dog. Eventually, after Colt settled down, the sitter located a phone number.
She dialed, realizing the chances of someone answering their phone for a strange number was unlikely but was quickly greeted by a distant woman's voice. After identifying herself, the sitter explained the situation saying she believed to have found Colt. The lady was out of town, in-laws were staying at the house and Colt must have dug himself another hole under the fence.
After a quick discussion of where in the neighborhood Cold lived, the sitter walked him back home. The in-laws answered the door with visible surprise to see Colt out of the backyard. After several very gracious thank-you's were given, the sitter headed back to the two pups in her care with only a small twinge of sadness for having to leave such an adorable golden doodle!
There were several things that gave this incident a positive outcome but the most crucial being Colt's ID tags, without which, Colt might have ended up at the vet for a microchip scan, or at the local animal control center.
The sitter was easily able to find and dial the phone number and was surprised when Colt's mother answered. Often, calls get left unanswered when the phone number is unfamiliar. Luckily for us, Colt's mom was not one of those people and answered right away.
ID tags only cost a couple of dollars and can be bought at nearly any pet store. A few dollars is hardly a price to pay to ensure your pet is safe and can be returned easily if needed.
So now I will make another request: Stop what you are doing, which right now is reading my blog, and check your pet's ID tags. Make sure the phone number and address are both current. If your pet is microchipped, call the company you have them registered with to make sure they have the correct phone number and address.
You can also go online and create an online account with many microchip companies to enter a photo and your pet's current description.
Taking a few moments to do this now will save you agonizing regret later, especially with all the danger the summer holds for pets. So please, check your pup's information today so you do not have to worry tomorrow!