Losing a pet is always a harrowing experience. Not knowing where your companion is or what’s happened to him can be really stressful. The separation can be taxing on both of you. Animals can also be traumatised from the experience, and that’s why it’s so important to ensure that they can be identified and returned to you as soon as possible.
Why is identification important?
Pets bond very quickly and very deeply with their owners. To have that relationship severed because of an inability to contact the owner when a pet gets lost, can be incredibly upsetting. You go through the awful experience of losing your pet, and he may be left at a shelter or even sent to another home.
A means to identify your pet is important, because it can prevent this kind of trauma. Identification provides the contact details of the owner, and they can immediately be notified if their pet is found.
Pets can wander outside of their local neighbourhoods, which can make finding them even more difficult. “Sometimes we bring in pets found in Lambton and it turns out that they’re from Primrose,” says Abel Masemola, a kennel manager at the Germiston SPCA. These are suburbs on opposite sides of Germiston, almost 11km apart. He stresses that it just makes the process so much easier if they’re able to identify the animal, whether it is a cat or a dog.
While dogs are easier to keep control of, cats frequently roam their neighbourhoods. But if they can be identified, they are protected and can be returned home if they do end up getting lost.
Lost pets
The first places to start looking for your pet is at the local shelters and nearby veterinary clinics. If your beloved pet is tagged or microchipped, it is easy for them to call you to be reunited, and the situation less traumatic for the both of you. Unfortunately, unidentifiable pets aren’t as easy to help, and most lost pets who cannot be identified end up at the local shelter. If they aren’t claimed, they’re put up for adoption.
Abel explains the process: “Animals who can’t be identified are sent to the pound section of the shelter with strays and other lost dogs. They are there for seven days, just waiting for their owners to claim them. If the animal isn’t claimed in seven days, they move into another section of the shelter and are then considered adoptable. Most animals at the SPCA are strays whose owners couldn’t be identified. They were then put up for adoption.”
Dennis Kuwanda, who works at the Kritzinger Road Veterinary Clinic, says that “even veterinary clinics send unidentifiable animals to the SPCA.”
Microchipping
Microchipping is veterinarians’ recommended form of identification. It is a tiny little data chip (about the size of a grain of rice) inserted underneath the skin on your pet’s neck. This chip stores a unique number for each individual pet. A microchip scanner can then be used to ‘read’ the chip’s number. The relevant microchipping company is contacted and provided with the number, and they can retrieve the owner’s information from their database. This will include details like your pet’s name and the contact details of the owner.
Scanners are used by veterinary clinics, shelters and SPCAs. When someone brings a lost pet to a shelter or clinic, they will scan the pet to see if he has a chip, and are then able to easily identify the animal and contact the owner.
Microchipping is done with a needle and is a fairly safe procedure, with hardly and complications. If inserted incorrectly into your pet’s skin it can be problematic, therefore, the microchipping should always be done by a professional person.
Collars and tags
Putting a collar with a tag with your details on your pet is an additional way of providing the contact information of the owner. This can sometimes be the fastest way to get hold of an owner when a pet is found. It is not recommended to make this the only form of identification, because collars can get lost. “When adopting dogs from the SPCA, tags are handed out alongside collars,” explains Abel, “and these tags are identified through a unique set of numbers. These numbers are registered to the pet’s owner and also stores their contact details, should anything happen.”
Tagging is a must
“Always collar your animals, even if they have been microchipped. These collars should be tagged with at least a name and contact number. It makes identifying them so much easier. It also ensures that, in the case of an emergency, you’re notified immediately,” says Dennis.
“When a neighbour or someone in the area finds your lost pet, they can easily contact you if your companion is tagged. Your neighbour won’t have access to the scanners that clinics and shelters do, and if they can’t easily identify your pet, he will most likely be sent to the nearest shelter,” explains Dennis.
A necessity
Many owners don’t collar or microchip their pets because they think their animals will never leave the yard unsupervised. The SPCA and veterinary clinics advise against this. “Accidents can happen. Sometimes a door is left ajar or a gate unlocked. It’s better to be safe than to regret it later when you’re unable to find your pet. Always ensure that your pet can be identified in some way,” Dennis concludes.
By Michaiah Juggoo
