The Season of the Big Boom!

Imagine you are enjoying an evening stroll with your pup. 

The breeze cools down the summer heat, fireflies blink in the distance, you can smell a nearby firepit. 

The perfect summer night; not a care in the world!

Until you hear the BIG BOOM, and feel your dog bolt out of your grip!

My name is Jes, I have been a pet care professional since 2020. 

I offer dog walks, boarding at my home in Glenolden, as well as drop ins and feedings for dogs, cats, and any animal that you call a loved one, 

but today’s post is for the dogs, and some of this can crossover to cats.

During the summer, there is an uptick in Missing Pets, we’ve all seen the social media posts and signs on light poles.  

The number one reason for this is fireworks.

I lived in South Philly for 8 years so I understand that fireworks don’t just light up the sky on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. 

Whether you are a client of mine or not, your pet’s safety is really important to me, 

so I am sharing four tools to keep your dog from ending up on a MISSING poster!

1. Identification Tags, AKA, Dog Tags.

These are the dog equivalent of our driver’s license. 

I grew up in the 90’s back when most dogs had hanging tags, and you could hear them jingling in your direction.

Today, another option is a tag that lays flat on your dog’s collar.

These tags can be etched with your dog’s name, but the most important identifying factor is your phone number.

If your dog gets away from you, and someone else comes across them, that phone number lets the neighbor contact you, and you’ll be reunited in no time!

Change your phone number?

Change those tags!

If you get a tag that’s not etched, make sure that number is easy to read as it ages.

Now, we don’t just carry our human ID around in our hand. We keep it in a wallet. 

The collar is your dog’s wallet for their ID tag so make sure it’s a comfortable one!  And the collar can do more than just hold your dog’s ID. 

It can also hold...

2.) A GPS tracker!

These trackers usually pair with an app so you can see where your dog is in real time, 

and the app usually allows you to emit a sound from the tracker to help you find your dog.

Before you leave the house, make sure that tracker is operating the way it’s supposed to.

If you get a new phone, for instance, you might have to reconnect the tracker in the app.

When you have a GPS tracker on your dog’s collar, you will track them down before they become "missing"!

3.) Another tool that the collar can hold is a light!

The light is especially helpful at night so that your dog can be seen by traffic.

One form of this tool is a light that attaches to the collar or harness.

Another form of this tool is a light up necklace that slides over your dog’s head.  

Both of these are surprisingly bright with the option to be a solid light or blinking.

Lights can really come in handy if your dog hunkers down in some bushes during those big booms because you’ll still be able to find them.

Again, make sure that light is operating before you leave the house.

An alternative or addition to the light that can be helpful is a reflection. Some collars and leashes have reflective strips built into them.

You can also get your dog a vest with reflection. Again, a great way for drivers to see your pet, especially if you have a dark dog or the environment is dark. 

A high visibility vest and some form of light is also great to have on yourself to be seen at night by other people, cars and cyclists.

So those are three tools so far: ID tags, GPS trackers, light.

What could the fourth tool be?...

4.) The microchip!

If you’ve ever seen a dog rolling on their back and they have a blue line on their belly, it’s not an unfinished tattoo; that blue line means they are microchipped!

This is a great fail safe if a dog leaves home without their wallet.

The process of inserting a microchip into your pet is the same as getting a vaccine; squeeze the skin, insert the needle, and out pops the chip under the skin.

The chip itself, which is the size of a grain of rice, just holds a serial number. 

That number is registered with contact information of the pet parent.

When taken to a hospital or shelter, the staff can scan the dog for their microchip using a handheld device, they contact the company associated with that number, and that will lead to the owner being contacted. 

Again, make sure that contact information is always accurate and properly connected to your dog’s chip.

So those are your four tracking tools!

1. ID tag

2. GPS tracker

3. Lights and/or reflectors

4. And the microchip

   
   

I understand that these worst-case scenarios can be scary to think about, but when we’re prepared for the worst times, we can enjoy best times!

My name is Jes, I am a pet care professional in Glenolden, and now you are ready for the season of the big boom!