Anita’s Animals

By Jackie Kellum

 

anita-april-OjoThere are several   reasons   why it is better for most people to adopt an adult cat or dog, rather than a kitten or puppy. These reasons are: you’ll know exactly what size the pet will be as an adult, their personalities are pretty much already established, they tend to dash around less causing you to trip over them, are more often content to just relax in your company, and, mainly, they really seem to understand that they’ve been rescued, and are all the more thankful for it and you!

What should you do if your dog is lost? Prevention is the best first step. How many times have we heard/ read about   a lost dog and find out the poor lost creature does not have a collar much less an ID tag. Why is that? It does not take very much time or money to have an ID tag made. Two local places that make them: the Animal Shelter and the pet food store next to where Vet. Luz Marie office had been located. If your dog already has an ID tag, make sure the phone contact info is current.

Having a [recent] picture of your dog is also helpful – it can be used for posters to alert your neighborhood, local vets, animal rescue groups, shelters and local web boards about your lost pet. It is suggested that you do not include your name and address, nor the pet’s name, and leave off distinguishing features of the pet , so you can be sure that the person calling really does have your dog. Only include neutered, if yes, otherwise don’t include this info, especially if it’s a “pure breed” dog, so the finder is less likely to try to keep your dog for breeding. The poster should include a picture of the pet, only a phone number, and the area and date where he was last seen, on the reward poster.

As soon as you believe your dog is missing, walk through your neighborhood calling his name. Ask friends to help search locally, including the local kids you know. Let your neighbors know about your lost pet. You want as many people as possible to see the picture of your dog, so if they see it in person, they might recognize it.

A frightened dog can travel a longer distance than you might imagine in a short amount of time, and/or it will seek a place to hide. When they are scared they become disoriented and may not be able to find their way home again on their own. It may take more than several days to locate him, so keep up the search efforts. Help others when someone else’s dog is lost,   as you would hope others would help you.

Anita’s Animals.com website includes a helpful item called: Pet GodParents. This tab has a form that you can complete and print to have available in your house. It helps you organize information about your pet and its care, in the event someone else needs to take over the care of your pet. Do not wait until there is an emergency and assume someone else can and will take responsibility for your pet/pets. The website also has a PayPal donation section, with the ability to set up an automatic regular donation for Anita’s rescue work.

 

 

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