Every year around this time, we have dogs brought to us that are lost — typically because they are spooked by the Fourth of July fireworks.

Those pets are brought to us because they have lost their collar with identification and the finder cannot contact the owner.  We are able to scan for microchips at our facility, but only a small percentage of these pets actually have them.

Then comes the heartache of what to do with the pet when the owner cannot be located. The finder feels obligated to take care of the pet, and the critter is often distressed as well.

It is not uncommon for the pet to wind up at the Humane Society. Hopefully, the owner can check routinely for their pet.

I wish to encourage pet owners to use microchips. We had a success story just yesterday, when a client brought in a stray cat. It turns out ‘Schroeder’ was obtained at the Humane Society and had been given a microchip. The owner’s information was readily available, and the finders were able to return Schroeder back to his rightful home. Good stuff, eh?

While microchips are arguably the best method to permanently identify your pet, a collar with contact information can also be effective and does not require special equipment.

The chance of your pet being returned increases dramatically if your pet has some means of identification, so please consider one or both of these methods. Losing a pet is distressing to all parties and can be avoided.

Dr. Teri Weronko

Snoqualmie Valley Animal Hospital