They say there are “cat people,” and then there are “dog people.” While these monikers may or may not harbor some cultural wisdom (largely self-informed, we’d wager, in the manner of a daily horoscope), what is certain is that there are “pet people,” in whose lives and memories our animal companions occupy a special place.
The recent, and thankfully temporary, disappearance of a member of the Review’s extended family occasioned the meeting of many such folk, and prompts this offering of their best advice on recovering a lost pet:
Protect your animal: have them spayed or neutered. With the advent of nicer weather, our local Progressive Animal Welfare Society – PAWS – has seen a spike in reports of lost pets. Like us, our animals have spring fever – dogs dig under fences or get loose from kennels to roam the neighborhood; cats venture further from home. That urge is particularly strong in animals that have not been spayed or neutered. PAWS, the Kitsap Humane Society and local veterinarians all are adamant on this point: spaying/neutering your pet not only prevents the population of uncared-for animals from growing, it helps keep a pet safe by reducing its urge to wander.
Make your pet easy to identify with a collar or chip. According to our friends at Winslow Animal Clinic, one in three pets will get lost in their lifetimes. Most animals with collar and tags or a microchip implant (available from most veterinarians) make it back to their families; most without, don’t. Some form of visible ID is a must for dogs, which are required to be licensed in Kitsap County (forms are available at the Bainbridge Island Police Department and City Hall), and an excellent idea for cats, as well – an out-of-place cat with a collar is far more likely to be spotted and reported to its owner. Also keep a current, full-figure photo of your animal on hand.
Act quickly to find your pet. When you figure out that your animal is missing, don’t assume it will find its way home; start searching. Of the pets reported to PAWS – the organization receives an average of 600 lost and found calls a year – PAWS executive director Judy Hartstone estimates that 98 percent of the dogs are reunited with owners, while only about 25 percent of cats are. That’s in part because dogs often have tags to identify them to friendly strangers, and in part because cat owners sometimes wait a week or more before calling PAWS, (206) 842-2451, or the Kitsap Humane Society,
(360) 692-6977. Call these organizations immediately to file a lost pet report, and to get advice about locating your animal.
Turn to your community for help. Other pet people understand your worry – recruit their help by putting up posters at grocery stores, vet offices, schools and willing businesses. Place a classified ad. Talk to your neighbors. Visit the KHS shelter in Silverdale twice a week (you can find directions on their website, www.kitsaphumane.org), and call their “Lost Pet Line” daily. Most of all, keep searching – the sound of your voice is your animal’s best beacon home.
Be “pet friendly.” Those who have been rewarded with the safe return of a pet know their debt to the countless acts of unacknowledged kindness that keep our animals safe each day. Fulfilling our part of the community bargain means
supporting local shelters and animal aid organizations, and looking to humane adoption agencies for our next animal
companion.
It also means getting to know the pets in the neighborhood – learning where they live, keeping an eye out for their safety, and noticing if a new animal has shown up and may be lost. It doesn’t take long to read a “lost cat” sign, check the tags of a wandering dog or to call PAWS and KHS with a report of an unclaimed pet. In all likelihood, you are helping someone’s family member find its way home.
