Lost Pets and Pet Amber Alert

hollowcrown_ / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

I recently saw a printed fax for a kitty that came from a service called Pet Amber Alert. "What a great idea!" I thought. But after spending some time looking into the paid service, it looks like this is a service that is a bit more complex than I originally thought.

On their website, Pet Amber Alert explains they call "thousands" of neighbors about your pet in addition to faxing and emailing a lost pet poster to local veterinarians, animal shelters, animal control, police stations, media outlets, pet stores, and "neighborhood watch volunteers."

One newspaper article, however, reported on a family who found they were paying for the service months after they cancelled it--because it hadn't helped them find their beloved dog. Another newspaper reported a similar service did not seem to actually have completed the calls and faxes as promised.

So if these services do not necessarily follow through with their promised services, what can you do in the case of a lost pet?

Part of the answer to that question is in prevention. Make sure your pets have current tags they wear all the time--an easy way for anyone to identify where he or she lives. Also, be sure your pet gets a microchip. This is a small device about the grain of rice that is inserted under your pet's skin by your vet during a visit (they don't even have to stay over night). It is programmed with a unique identification number registered to you. In the event your pet gets lost, someone at a vet clinic or animal shelter can use a scanner to read the chip's number and get your pet back to you. There are also now products on the market that allow you to track your pet by GPS when charged and attached to your pet's collar or harness.

Microchip Scanner

Tony Webster / Foter / CC BY

If your pet does wander off, it's important to get out there looking as soon as you see they're missing--that's when they're most likely to be closest to home. Most dogs are found by searching the neighborhood. Most cats, however, return home on their own. Also, if you find someone else's pet who has wandered off, taking them to the local shelter improves their odds of getting them safely home.

Here's to those lovely animals in our lives staying safe!