Lost Dog Awareness Day is April 23. We want to provide tips on how to keep your dog from getting lost — today and every day! Raising awareness and celebrating reunions is another purpose of Lost Dog Awareness Day.

Did you know:

  1. Every three seconds a family pet is lost
  2. More than ten million pets are lost a year
  3. Only one in ten pets are found

Please don’t let your pet become a statistic. Keep them safe. Microchips and collars with up-to-date tags will keep your pet safer and increase the chance of a reunion.

How To Keep Your Dog From Getting Lost

Keep Your Dog From Getting Lost Or Stolen

The Fourth of July, Halloween and New Year’s Eve are peak times for lost dogs. Many dogs fear fireworks and July Fourth and New Year’s Eve fireworks lead to lost dogs. Dogs bolt from their owners and dash into the night. Halloween is another frightening time for dogs. The little goblins and ghouls coming to the door can scare them and they may run out the open door.

How To Keep Your Dog From Getting Lost

Here are some of our favorite tips:

  1. Keep your dog on a leash when you are out of doors. If you’re in a fenced in area, your dog may be safe to run off-leash, but check for any holes in the fence and make sure it’s tall enough that your dog can’t jump over. A leash and a collar with your contact information are two of the best safety items you can have to protect your dog.
  2. Don’t open the door if your dog is right at your feet. Move your dog away from the door before you open it. Keep her on a leash when you open the door so she can’t bolt out of it.
  3. Don’t leave your dog alone outside. Thefts of dogs appears to be on the rise and leaving your dog outside, unsupervised could be a recipe for theft. We’ve seen people who tie their dog’s leash to a park bench when they go inside a store, please don’t do this.
  4. Don’t leave your dog alone in a car. Not only is this dangerous because of the risk of death because of the heated car, someone could break the car window and steal your dog.
  5. Protect and supervise your dog at all times. Dogs will be dogs and even the most well-trained dog. Your dog could see an object — a bird, a squirrel — and his prey drive kicks in and he could run away.

Measures pet parents can take to enhance their dog’s safety

Here are ways to protect your pet and to help ensure a happy reunion.

How To Keep Your Dog From Getting Lost

Microchip your dog. Ask your veterinarian about the pros and cons of microchipping then make an informed decision. Microchipping is a permanent way to protect your dog. Remember, a microchip is not a GPS device and it doesn’t allow you to “track” your lost dog.

There are disadvantages to microchipping:

  1. You need to always keep your contact information current on the microchip site. Every time you move or get a new phone number, you will need to remember to update the chip registry
  2. If your dog gets lost you need to trust that if he is found, the person who finds him knows enough to take him to a vet or a shelter to have him scanned. You also have to trust the person who finds your lost dog is motivated to take the time to have him checked for a chip
  3. The microchip also needs to be compatible with the scanning device used
  4. Some people and vets feel a microchip can lead to cancer at the injection site

The advantages to microchipping:

  1. It’s a permanent locator record. If a collar with tags falls off, the chip will remain
  2. It is a simple, virtually painless procedure for your dog
  3. Collars can fall off.

Consider a collar and a microchip

Microchip and have your dog wear a collar and tags to amp up the possibility of a reunion. Tags and a collar are a visible sign to a rescuer with your contact information. Take time today to consider the safety measures you have in place to protect your pet from running away and what measures you have in place to help assure a reunion.

Robbi Hess, award-winning author, is multi-petual. When not caring for her pets or taking them on walks, she is a speaker, efficiency and effectiveness guru, content creator, social media manager and blogger. She writes at All Words Matter, My Divas Dish, and is the story editor and chief cat herder at Positively Woof/Crimeless Cat.