Finding Your Lost Pet
By Joanna Samson, FOTAS Board of Directors
As seen in the Aiken Standard on Jan. 19, 2014
On Monday, November 4th of last year, a young German Shepherd named Bashka went missing in an area near Chukker Creek Road. Although the dog was sighted in the area later that day, she continued to elude the efforts of her heartbroken owner to find her.
Three days later, Elisa Denaberg, a friend of the owner’s, took steps to marshal the vast communication network of the incredibly animal-friendly Aiken community to find Bashka. First she contacted Linda McLean, a Master of the Aiken Hounds, who emailed the hunt membership a BOLO (“be on the lookout “) for the pretty tan shepherd last seen in and around Anderson Pond Road. Elisa also posted the same information on the Aiken Hounds Facebook Page.
Word spread. Someone calls a friend, who calls another friend, who calls their sister, who tells someone else, who spots the dog at a local farm during a riding lesson – you know how it goes. The search net got wider and wider.
On Monday, one week after she went missing, Bashka was found through the collective efforts of friends, friends of friends, families of friends, acquaintances and total strangers and returned to her grateful owner.
Bashka was lucky – her owners and their friends were quick to take advantage of the community network to bring her home.
But what if your pet is not so lucky? What can you do to increase the odds that your beloved pet will be found and returned home?
The answer is: microchip your pet. The microchip system of pet identification has evolved in response to the thousands of pets and their owners who were separated by the fury and destruction of Hurricane Katrina.
The microchip is programmed with a unique identification number that is registered to the pet’s owner. The microchip, which is about the size of a grain of rice, is implanted in the loose skin between the shoulder blades of the pet by way of a painless injection.
If a stray animal is picked up, the animal control officers (or any veterinarian) can scan the animal with a hand held reader, retrieve the identification number, check the microchip registry database and if - and this is very important – if the owner has properly registered the microchip so that all contact information is current, the pet can be promptly returned home.
Aiken County’s Animal Control Officer, Bobby Arthurs, believes in microchipping.
“When we pick up an animal,” says Arthurs, “we scan it immediately. If there is a microchip, and the owner’s registration is current, we can contact the owners and take the animal home right away. The pet does not have to be taken to the shelter and processed, saving the owners and pets a lot of heartache and stress.”
The national statistics regarding the return of microchipped pets support Arthurs’ belief. According to a 2009 article in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, a study of 7700 stray animals at animal shelters showed that only 22% of dogs without microchips were returned to their owners, compared to about 52% of the dogs with microchips. Only 1.8% of cats without microchips were reunited with their owners, compared to about 39% of cats with microchips.
So here’s the takeaway: you should microchip your pet.
The Aiken County Animal Shelter will microchip your pet for only $23 (Aiken City Animal Control and the SPCA have a similar program).
Once you have microchipped your pet, be sure to register it with the company who manufactured the chip.
If you have previously registered your pet, be certain to keep your contact information current.
Microchipping is easy, painless and inexpensive. But most important, it can save your pet’s life and save you the anguish of losing your special friend.
FOTAS Volunteers work with the AIKEN COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER, 411 Wire Road. For more information, contact “info@fotasaiken.org” or visit FOTAS on line at www.fotasaiken.org.
Aiken County Animal Shelter: “By the Numbers”
Jan. 6, 2014 - Jan. 11, 2014
16 dogs and 0 cats adopted
Year to Date:
33 terrific pets adopted
THANK YOU AIKEN COUNTY COMMUNITY!
**All adoption fees include: spay/neuter, heartworm test, all shots, worming, and microchip.
ELTON JOHN Lab/retriever mix, male, 2 yrs old, 28 lbs Only $70
RIHANNA Domestic short hair kitten -- female --5 mos. old, 10 lbs Only $35
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments and input are always welcome. We appreciate any suggestions or thoughts that will help FOTAS with their goal to help the Aiken County Animal Shelter become a happy, healthy place that never has to euthanize an adoptable pet.