Do you read the Pet Connection, a weekly column in the Press Democrat? If not, I’m going to share with you an idea that Gina Spadafori, the column’s author, started a few years ago. Just like the fire department wants to get us to associate checking our fire alarm batteries when we change our clocks, she encourages all pet owners to do a collar/tag check on New Year’s day.

What she is suggesting is that all pets be checked for having a proper, and a properly fitted, collar with a current, legible ID tag attached. Know how many pets would be saved by this simple task? Imagine if every lost pet that came through our doors this year had on a collar and a legible tag. We’d become nothing more than a short term holding facility for these lost animals who just had to wait out the day until their worried guardians got off work and could come collect them. Perhaps if the people were away for the weekend, the pet would have to stay for a few days but nothing much beyond that. Boggles the mind doesn’t it? 

A lost animal comes in, we read the tag, call the number and a worried owner is reunited with her beloved pet. It’s just that simple.

A proper collar refers to what kind it is — for example a choke or prong collar should never be left on a dog after a walk. These collars are not only dangerous, they are literal death traps if an unsupervised pet gets it caught on something (fence, deck board, etc.). All dogs should wear a flat buckle or clasp collar made of fabric, nylon or leather. It is this collar that should have his collection of bling – ID tag, license, and any other good luck amulet that you want to hang.  Harnesses and other training collars come on and off the dog when they are being worked so you don’t want to put the tags on them. 

Some people are leery of putting a collar on a cat fearing that they may hang themselves or get caught in a tree or fence. This, of course, is a reasonable worry if the pet is free-roaming (another reason to keep your cat safely indoors), but I have to ask – how many cat skeletons have you seen hanging off trees or fences lately? Besides which, all collars that are made specifically for cats feature either a piece of elastic or a quick release clasp just for that eventuality, so you don’t have to worry. The truth is far more cats have died from NOT having a collar on (with ID) than have been killed from their collars.

Give your pets at least a chance to be returned to you by giving them a “voice” if they become lost. Since they cannot communicate their address or your cell phone number you have to do it for them by attaching a tag with that information on their collar. Make sure the information is current and take a moment to look at their tags to see if it is still legible. 

Over time the information engraved can get worn off  to the point that numbers are missing. It does no good to have your pet wear a tag that has a disconnected phone number or your old address on it. We’ve gotten in strays with out of state tags, and we wondered how they got so far from home! The point is the tags were useless. That is so frustrating! The shelter has an instant tag engraving machine and for just $5 you can make sure that your pet is appropriately accessorized.

Your back-up to the collar and tag, is the microchip. Since even the perfect collar and most up-to-date tag can come off, the microchip, which is inserted in the body, can still let us know where the pet lives and how to contact the parent.  The shelter offers public microchips for just $20, including registration in the national database.  Stop by with your animal during our open hours (Wed. 1-6:30; Thursday yhrough Saturday 1-5:30, Sun. 1-4:30) for a chip – no  appointment is necessary. Do the collar and tag check this week and make this one New Year’s resolution that you keep.

Upcoming events: Meet the Bunny, second Saturday of each Month (Jan. 14) from 1-5:30 p.m. Meet our adoptable rabbits, ask care questions of our knowledgeable volunteers, and shop our bunny boutique for fresh hay, rabbit toys and accessories. Bring your rabbit for a free nail trim.