Is your pet carrying proper ID? May is Chip Your Pet Month. At our house, we are all chipped, even cat bro Bert is chipped! The best thing about a chip is it is an implant, so no matter where your pet goes, the chip goes along.
At our house, we believe a lot of ID is a good thing, so we are chipped and wear ID tags on our collars. If we ever go missing, Mom wants to make extra sure we are found.
Not all dogs wear collars, they run around naked all the time. No collar, no ID tag, right? If you are not using a collar, the chip is even more important. We take our collars off at night when we go to bed. Back in December Nelson got out the door early in the morning and took off. He was not wearing his collar since he just got up. Mom panicked about him not having his tag but she also knew he had his chip in case he was found. Thankfully, Mom ran around the neighborhood looking for him and after about ten minutes they reunited.
All of us wear collars during the day. We have one tag with our chip number on it. If we are found, the finder can call the number on that tag, give the number, and find out where we belong. This is also a good time to remind you to keep your contact information current for your microchip. If the information is not valid, the chip is useless.
We all have an ID tag as well with our current information on it. Believe me, when I got out of the fence on a road trip in Michigan back in September 2021, Mom panicked. The only thing that helped her was knowing I had on my ID tag and I am chipped. Thankfully I was only on the run for a short time. Especially in a new and strange place, pets need ID to get them back home if they ever get lost.
Make sure your pet has proper ID. Have your vet check the chip at every visit to make sure it is still working properly. Think about an ID tag if your pup wears a collar. Of course the best thing is to never let your dog run away, but sometimes things happen, and one needs to be as prepared as possible.