Education
TEN THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT……
Finding Your Lost Pet
by: Elaine R Powierski
Losing a pet is very traumatic to both the owner and the animal. Here are some important tips on how to reunite your pet with your family.
1) Be prepared for the possibility that your pet could get lost. Have proper identification on your pet. For a dog, this means a collar with a current rabies tag and an identification tag with your name and phone number. For a cat if a collar and tag are not practical, you may want to consider having a microchip inserted or having your pet tattooed.
2) Check your property and home very carefully. Look in every location your pet could have gotten into. That includes closets, garages, sheds and behind or inside appliances. Outside of the house, look in crawl spaces, in shrubs, and any other area where an animal could hide.
3) Next check your immediate neighborhood. Walk through the area and call your pet’s name. Stop by your neighbors’ homes and let them know your pet is missing. Leave a description of your pet and your phone number. Solicit help from your friends so you do not have to search alone. When walking the area carry your pet’s favorite treats and squeaky toy. Take along a good flashlight and check under houses, in garbage containers or any place else your pet could have gotten trapped. Periodically stop and just listen so you can hear if your pet is making any sounds in response. Talk to everyone you see in the neighborhood including children. Children can be a big help in finding lost animals.
4) Check with all the shelters around your area and visit your local shelter daily or at least every two days to see if your pet has been picked-up. Contact your local Animal Control Department and report your pet missing.
5) Keep a picture of your animal that can be used on posters. Make posters and distribute and post them throughout your neighborhood, in veterinary offices, in local businesses and in your local shelter on the “lost board”. Try to cover as much of the area in a square mile from your home as possible. If you decide to offer a reward, include that on your poster and ads, but don’t say how much.
6) Post an ad in your local papers giving a description of your pet and the number to call. It is best not to give your address or place your address on the poster. Do give the general vicinity where your pet was lost. Check the “Found” notices daily.
7) Leave something outside of the house that your pet is very familiar with like a blanket or bed. Your pet may be able to find his way back through his sense of smell.
8) Be cautious if you receive a call that your pet has been found. Take someone with you to the location. Ask for details about the animal that has been found and see if any information is included that you had not mentioned in your poster and ads. Watch out for scam artists who may want to take advantage of your situation.
9) Check with the veterinary offices to see if they have had any injured animals brought to them for treatment. If they have received an injured animal, personally go to the office and check. Do not rely on your description alone. Check with your local city or county offices to see who is responsible for picking up dead animals from the street and contact them. As hard as it is to find out your animal was a victim of an accident, it is worse to never know what happened.
10) Last but not least, do not give up. Continue to look, advertise and check your local shelters on a regular basis. It is not unusual for a pet to be found weeks later.
This list is not intended to be all-inclusive. Watch for more information on pet care in future articles.
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TEN THINGS YOU OUGHT TO KNOW ABOUT……
The Loss of A Pet
by: Elaine R Powierski
If you are a pet owner, chances are you will outlive your pet. It is important to remember the following.
1) Pets are often an important component of the owner’s life especially if the person is elderly or lives alone. Loss of a pet may mean a significant loss of companionship.
2) Our society, although slowly changing, does not acknowledge that the intense grief a person may feel following the death of a pet can be as great as when a family member dies.
3) Feelings of guilt must be discouraged regardless of the circumstances. It only compounds the grieving process. Instead, it is important to remember the great life the pet had while alive. There are many homeless animals that never have that opportunity.
4) Children also will grieve the loss of a pet and their sorrow needs to be acknowledged and handled. The grieving process will vary based on the child’s age.
5) If there are other pets in the household, they may also feel the void and show changes in behavior. It is important to keep their lives as normal as possible.
6) When you lose a pet, allow yourself to cry and grieve your loss. Acknowledge the fact that you will be going through the grieving process. Surround yourself with friends and family members who will understand and give you support.
7) If you feel your grieving is severe or prolonged, get help. Don’t be ashamed to talk to a professional because “it is only a cat or a dog”. Your pet was much more than just an animal to you.
8) Do something special in honor of your pet. Plant a shrub, make an album of favorite pictures, find or make a special urn for your pet’s ashes or hold a memorial service.
9) Immediately following the death of a pet is usually not a good time to get a new pet. Allow some time to grieve. When the time is right, consider adopting a homeless animal from a shelter. Do not deprive yourself of the wonderful companionship a pet can give you because you never want to grieve again.
10) If a friend or a family member has lost a pet, acknowledge their loss. Encourage them to talk about their pet and the great times they had together. Let them know it is okay to grieve.
This list is not intended to be all-inclusive. Watch for more information on pet care in future articles.
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The following is a list of other articles available. If you would like to receive a copy send an e-mail to Elaine Powierski and let her know which to send.
General Articles
Responsible Pet Ownership
Loss of Pet
Finding your lost pet
Hurricane Preparations
New Years Resolutions for Pet Owners
Children and Pets
Preventing Abuse
Holiday Precautions
Introducing a Dog and a Cat
Traveling with your pet Part 1
Traveling with your pet Part 2
Air Travel and your pet Part 1
Air Travel and your pet part 2
Motels and Pets
Boarding Your Pet
Seniors and Pets Part 1
Seniors and Pets Part 2
Health Articles
Heartworms
Ear Mites
Spay/Neuter
Keeping Your Dog Healthy
Pet Health
Cold Weather and Your Pet
Canine Hip Dysplagia
Dog and Puppy Articles
Barking Dogs
Preventing Dog Bites
Selecting a Puppy as a pet
Puppies Part 1: Bringing Home Your Puppy
Puppies Part 2: Crate Training
Puppies Part 3: Physical needs
Puppies Part 4: Promoting a well-adjusted dog
Puppies Part 5: Basic training
Housebreaking Puppies
Aggressive Dogs
Jack Russell Terrier Article
MinPin Article
Dog Training Why Bother
Labrador Retriever Article
Reasons Given for Surrendering Dogs
Cat and Kitten Articles
Kitten Care Part 1
Kitten Care Part 2
Kitten Care Part 3
Feral Cats
Outdoor Cats
Moving Your Cat Inside
Reasons Given for Surrendering Cats
Other Animals
Rabbit Care
Ferrets as Pets
Guinea Pigs as Pets
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Educational Opportunities
On site and school visits for children.
Educational presentations for children of all ages.
Presentations for groups and organizations on Humane Society.
Animal books for on site review in the Humane Society library.
Brochures and animal care pamphlets.
The following web-site has extensive information on animal behavior issues: www.hssv.org
We encourage you to visit this site if you have questions.
