WHY PET IDENTIFICATION IS SO IMPORTANT:

 THE UNEXPECTED WAYS THAT PETS GO MISSING

No one expects to ever be separated from their pets but there is much proof that it happens, and in so many different ways. If it's happened to others, it can happen to you and yours.  In order to plan an effective identification program for your pets, you'll find it helpful to understand how pets become, and stay, separated from their owners and families.  What's more, this understanding will help your household establish many more practices to help safeguard your pets against separation, such as those suggested in these few links:  

Cyber Pet College of Vet Medicine  Pet Plan Insurance  Sassy

Think of the criminal, who needs both motive and opportunity to commit a crime.  A pet needs both motive and opportunity to become a stray, or a lost pet.

MOTIVES FOR SEPARATION  What induces in companion animals even the thought of leaving their owners?  Is it always the pet's choice to leave?  If you're feeling confident that your pet will never have a reason to be separated from you, realize now that ALL PETS can, at some time in their lives, find themselves in a position to run away, or be taken, from you.

	Adventure-seeking roaming, a product of such factors as Natural curiosity about the unknown, or about that dog, cat or squirrel (particularly its scent):  the best ways to reduce the instance of dogs actually acting on their curiosity is socialization and basic obedience training. Boredom:  if a pet spends its days alone and isolated, doesn't it have more reason to seek adventure than one with a more "full life"? The Humane Society  has some tips for home alone dogs in 9-5 households. Mating urges in un-neutered males:  Neutering your male dog  should eliminate this influence to roam Search for a better life:  If humans run away rom lives of abuse and neglect, isn't it possible that abused and neglected pets might run away, too?
	Fear-Induced Flight, due to such specific causes as frightening  sights & sounds like thunderstorms, fireworks and many other types of loud, scary noises Confusion, once lost as a result of roaming. Auto (and other) accidents: To reduce the risk for this, use pet restraints, many of which are available on the internet, including: Batzi Belt * Cargo Caddy * Pet Perch * Doggie Catcher * Easy Rider * Comfort Ride Pet Seat * PetSave Canine Car Safety System * Pet Seat Belt System * Seat Belt Harness System Separation due to accidents could be reduced if pet seatbelts or car restraints become mandatory everywhere, like it is in New Hampshire. Read about the searches for Bob and for Barney, both of whom were separated from their families and guardians at the times of auto accidents. And by all means, please help if you can!  Also, read this wonderful store about Tiffany, who was lost due to an accident, and found 11 months later! Natural  disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, fire and flood - be prepared with some of these tips:  Humane Soc of the US * of Bay County * of  Montgomery County FEMA Dogs.Net Broward Co FL  Amer Red Cross Hamptons Online Ofc of Emer Srvcs Hobo's Home Page Amer Humane Assoc Richmond Times Dispatch Hugs for Homeless Animals Pinellas Animal Foundation Orlando FL Humane Soc/SPCA
	Pet Theft - yes, it can happen to you: Learn more than you want to know about pet theft from these websites:   Lehigh Valley Animal Rights Commission Foundation for Biomedical Research Friends of Animals Action League Animal Rights Resource Site USDA - APHIS Urban Legends Research Animal Resources Amer Anti-Vivisection Soc People for Animal Rights Last Chance for Animals Animal Protection Assn  To get an idea of what it must be like to have your pet stolen, read this poem, and these stolen pet bulletins:  Bulldog Pups * Rusty & Melody * Nikki & Sunny litter * Dulcie * Sega * BOLO Take these measures to safeguard against pet theft, offered by:   APHIS * Amer Dog Trainers Network *  In Defense of Animals *  Citizens For Animals *  Last Chance for Animals  Neutering your pet gives some thieves one less reason to steal it

OPPORTUNITIES for flight, roaming or theft  Even with reasons to flee or roam, a pet can't do so without opportunity. This is a short list of opportunities, and the complete list would be very long. If you've got the idea, and are alarmed by how easy it would be, that's one of my missions accomplished.

	Accidents, such as a door or gate left open by a service or delivery person, a child, or anyone at all concentrating on anything other than the pets in the house or yard
	Failed or inadequate restraints, such as in the examples below.  Examining all such restraints periodically helps prevent them from becoming opportunities. a hole in a fence - perhaps chewed or dug by the outside dog with too much time on his paws? or due to separation anxiety? a loose collar - if you can fit more than 2 fingers under the collar, it's too loose; also, consider a harness, which has other benefits as well a snapped leash - a weak spot in a leash plus a  loud scary noise is a missing pet combination
	Allowing a dog off-leash outside of a house or confined area (which, BTW, is unlawful in a lot of places. What about where you live - does it have a leash law?)

REASONS PETS AREN'T RETURNED HOME within a reasonable time after separation*  There have been pets that were found and reported or returned home with no search taking place, or even before the owner realized they were missing. Many pets separated from their owners are reunited with them within hours or a very few days. So what separates them from those that stay missing for longer periods of time, or indefinitely?

	A pet may not be approachable by humans, due to either hiding, perhaps even in the wilderness, or temperament. For pets that are normally approachable, this may be a result of its state after separation from home, family and familiar surroundings, and experiences during the separation. For pets that are not very approachable under normal circumstances, socialization and basic dog obedience training are a good idea, to build confidence and prepare for this type of situation. The National Center For Missing Pets is involved with researching the behavior of lost pets, so if you want more information or to help that research to continue, check it out.
	A pet may be intentionally kept from the rightful owner   Why would someone do this? it may be a stolen pet there are those who have found stray animals that they deemed desirable, and taken them in and kept them even though they are identifiable,  selfishly convincing themselves that if the owners really cared, they wouldn't "allow" the pet to become lost. some stray pet finders observe an animal to be in bad shape, and make an assumption that the animal is abandoned Read this newsgroup posting
	A pet may not be recognizable as a missing pet by people otherwise in a position to help: this is especially possible in areas where leash laws don't exist or ignored and not enforced remember that pets are sometimes kept by their finders, and they are sometimes stolen (more pet theft prevention tips, from:   In Defense of Animals * Urban Legends) where the search efforts haven't penetrated the word, a missing pet is just about invisible; this is why it's necessary to launch a thorough search once a pet  becomes missing, even if you take every precaution listed on this website before your pet is lost or stolen.
	A pet may not be identifiable, and this may be for reasons such as it actually does not have any identification; the finder does not search for ID beyond the well-known collar tag; or the pet's identification has been rendered inadequate - such as a faded or poorly applied tattoo that's too difficult to read, or an outdated ID tag not replaced after a household move Remember that if a pet's tags are "normally left off while it's in the house or fenced yard," then the pet that, for whatever reason, realizes an opportunity to leave the confines of the house or yard, has not been provided with identification by its owner or caretaker.

* a search notwithstanding, since a search may or may not be successful, and a pet may be reunited with its owner with or without a search

So, there are some whys and wherefores to missing pets.  As you can see, the incidence of missing pets is not completely unpredictable.  For every opportunity a pet may have to become separated from its home and family, there is a preventive measure that will make the difference between home safe, and missing.  

Wherever possible, I've tried to give at least a little information or a few links to address prevention or reduction of these motives, opportunities, or continuation factors.  The remainder of this website is devoted to addressing the final reason pets aren't soon reunited with their families: the proactive identification of pets -- before they become missing pets.

Home

Permanent IDs

Pet Registries

Other Non-Permanent ID Options

Which ID to Choose

Missing Pet Search Techniques

Email the PIA

Meet Tester

 Last update:  2/21/00