It’s every dog owner’s worst nightmare: losing your dog. Canines are curious creatures and if you aren’t careful they could disappear in a split second. Every year there are millions of pets who wander from home and never find their way back. There are precautions you can take to assist in a swift recovery if your dog ever goes missing, including microchipping your pet and providing a collar tag. If your pup gets loose without a microchip or collar, your best bets are calling the local shelters and utilizing the internet to your advantage. Try to remain calm and keep faith that your loving pooch will be found.

Microchipping your pet has been around since 1995 and millions of conscientious pet owners are getting in on the action. Veterinarians and animal shelters encourage pet owners to provide their animal with a microchip for emergency situations. The process includes a microchip implant that contains an identifiable integrated circuit which is placed under the skin of your pet; the chips are roughly the size of a large grain of rice and are supported on inert Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. If you adopt your pet, most shelters will include microchipping with the adoption fee. Each microchip contains a unique ID that can be identified with a special scanner, and the owners are given a tag with the microchip number for personal proof. There are enrollment papers that go along with the chip number for the owner to fill out that includes information like contact information, name and description of pet, and an emergency contact number. Any lost animals brought to the shelter can be identified with the help of this handy invention.

A collar tag is worn on the dog collar and is essential to have on your pet if they aren’t microchipped. There are many places you can get a personalized collar tag from; some pet stores even have one-stop machines that can generate your request in a matter of minutes. Collar tags typically contain important information of your furry friend, including the name of the pet and owner contact information. If your pooch goes missing a pet collar tag will help whoever finds your wandering pal in identifying and returning them. Give your pooch’s personalized pet collar tag an even more personalized touch with all of the different color and style options available.

If your dog doesn’t find their way back within twenty-four hours, start calling local shelters in the area. There is a chance that somebody discovered your buddy and brought them to a shelter for safe keeping. Only fifteen to twenty percent of lost dogs that have been brought into shelters are recovered by their owners. Most of the retrieved dogs were matched back to their owner in large thanks to microchips and collar tags. If your pet hasn’t brought into the shelters and days continue to go by, try back with all the shelters, and even branch out to call shelters further away (animals travel quick!). Also call local veterinarians and animal control facilities in addition to the shelters, people also tend to bring lost animals to these places as well. Call around and even call around again if more time goes by.

The internet is a useful tool for anything, so exercise it to your advantage during your search. There are existing websites, like helpmefindmypet.com, out there that were created to help in the search of finding lost pets. Search your local area for your lost pal and have someone stay at your home in case your pooch finds their way back during your hunt. Post on social networks, make signs to put around town, and even place an ad in the newspaper.

Maintain a positive outlook while your pooch is gone and continue to do all you can do for your search. Spread the word and have trust that your pup will be found. Don’t wear yourself out, after you put forth your best efforts to find your furry friend, ease off and wait. If some time goes by and you are still without your pal, begin your search again. Sometimes pets are lost for months and travel further than expected before making their way back home. Good luck on your search!