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Pet Place: Help pets find you when they’re lost

By Robin Shroyer/Contributor

If another person found one of your pets, would they be able to find you? Does your animal friend have an identification tag, a microchip or anything that could help reunite you? Even though it might seem unlikely that you will ever be separated from your pet, accidents will happen. A gate is left open, a fence board falls, fireworks scare a pet away from home or they jump in or on a vehicle that is heading away!

Identification of your pet does not have to be expensive and can save your pet’s life. In the past two weeks we have had six stray dogs and two cats brought in to our hospital and only one of the animals had an ID tag. Fortunately, we have been able to find most of the owners by advertising and watching for posters that owners have put up. However, most kindhearted souls don’t have the time or the resources to fully investigate the origin of an animal they have found.

An easy way to identify your pet is to simply write your phone number in indelible ink on a collar that is adjusted to stay on. You can also purchase an engraved tag to attach to a collar. Tags are available online and at pet stores. If you don’t want to take the chance that a collar might get lost while your pet is out wandering the countryside you might consider microchipping your pet.

The microchip is inserted under the skin between the shoulder blades by your veterinary staff. It is encoded with a series of numbers and letters that are unique for your pet and registered with the manufacturer. If your pet is found and taken to a shelter or veterinary hospitals a scanner can be used to determine the registered number. The microchip company can usually be contacted 24/7 and your phone number can be found. Voila! You are reunited with your pet.

Animal Services will only hold a stray pet for five days until it becomes available for adoption. Many pets are never returned to their owners. The lucky ones are adopted and the unlucky ones are euthanized.

Please provide a safe enclosure for your pet and do your best to ensure they stay home. Just in case the unthinkable happens and they do escape please provide a way to identify them so they can come back home.

Veterinarian Robin Shroyer is the co-owner of Nipomo Dog & Cat Hospital, 525 Sandydale Drive. Contact the hospital at 929-2855 or visit the Web site at

nipomodogandcathospital.com.