PET HINT - Locating a lost pet

Losing a beloved pet – even for a few hours – is a very distressing experience for pet and owner alike but research shows that reuniting with your pet is much more successful if it can be easily identified. The following steps will help in this process.

First, make sure your pet is wearing an identification tag with your phone number and their name on it and also. Also, ask your vet to microchip your pet, if it hasn’t been done prior to you acquiring the pet. This will identify it for life and details are recorded on a database that will be used to reunite pet and owner in the event that your pet gets lost. Remember to update your details if you change address. Identification tags and micro chipping may be a requirement in your area. Finally, photograph your pet regularly in case you need to use the photo on a “missing” flyer later on.

If your pet does go missing, don’t panic! Look in and around your house first, checking all nooks and crannies including washing machines, clothes dryers and drains. Your dog might have accidently been locked in a room and cats are known for finding excellent hiding holes and ignoring calls.

Dogs and cats rely on their sense of smell to locate their home so place some of your unwashed clothes, your pet’s litter box or favourite toys outside your door to help guide them home.

Door knocking in your local area can also help. While walking the streets, carry your pet’s favourite biscuits in a tin that you can rattle while calling their name. Also carry a flashlight to check dark spaces. A frightened or injured animal will hide and not necessarily come when called.

Phone your local council, animal shelters and vet clinics to leave information on your pet and your contact details, and then distribute flyers with the latest photo and description of your pet in the local area. Remember to withhold several identifying marks of your lost pet in case you need to verify that a person has actually found your pet later on.

Dogs can walk a long way from home so place advertisements in the “Lost and Found” section of your newspaper. There are also sites on the internet that allow you to post a description and photo of your lost pet for free.

Last but not least, visit all the animal welfare shelters and council pounds in surrounding areas every few days. Remember that your description of your pet may not be the same as how the shelter is describing it. State laws vary as to how long an animal has to be kept before it can be rehoused or euthanased.

Preparing to say goodbye

Mrs R had tears in her eyes today as she picked up Molly’s medication, probably for the last time. Molly is old now, and aside from a long-term illness she’s struggling to cope with bad arthritis and other age-related changes. She’s blind, deaf and sometimes gets confused. The family has agreed that her quality of life is decreasing and it will soon be time to say goodbye.

We love Molly at the clinic. We’ve been looking after her for years and she’s the perfect patient – friendly, well-behaved and tolerant. She’s had literally hundreds of blood tests, yet never resists the clippers or needle. She’s spent whole days in our treatment room, wagging her tail at everyone who walks past and snoozing in between tests. When we’re done she hops back in her cage without complaint, and she loves to lean in close and enjoy a pat while the vet does whatever they need to. Even without her sight and hearing, she still trusts us. I can’t really imagine Molly not being around, and I know when she makes her last visit to the clinic that we’ll be crying along with her family.

Having said that, everything I love about Molly is just one part of her life. She has been a member of the R family for over a decade, since their kids were small, and has given them all constant love and loyalty. They have fed her, walked her, and picked up after her thousands of times. They’ve swept bags and bags full of her cream coloured fur from their floors and furniture. They’ve got to know all her funny habits and idiosyncracies, and they’ve loved her all the more as she has slowed down and stopped being able to hear them call. As Mrs R said today, Molly is not just part of the furniture or a really great pet; she is “so much a part of us”. There will be great grief at saying goodbye, and life will be forever changed.

Rudyard Kipling, in his heart-wrenching poem ‘The Power of the Dog’, cautions against giving our hearts to our pets, because inevitably we suffer the awful pain of losing them. It’s clearly a poem born of agonising experience, and the advice is sound enough, if avoiding pain is your goal. But when I think of all the Mollys I know, and the people who love them, I can only conclude that it’s worth it. Our pets give us years of unconditional love, companionship and joy. Who would be without that?

A new pet? Never say never!

Saying goodbye to a loved pet can be one of the most difficult steps an owner takes.

Dogs and cats, in particular, give us years of unconditional love and companionship and when they die many people report that they feel a much higher than expected sense of loss and grief.

“Many people initially believe that they could never have a pet again, because the sense of loss is so great,” says Dr Emma Whiston, who owns and operates the veterinary service, My Best Friend, which provides end of life care for elderly and terminally ill pets, and bereavement support for their owners.

“Some people question if they can ever love another animal and others feel betrayal and disloyalty to the animal who has died if they bring another pet into their home. Some say they’ll never get another pet because it would be too painful to experience this same level of grief again,” says Dr Whiston.

So how do you know when you are ready for a new pet? Dr Whiston says that the two
most important aspects are that the decision has to come from your heart and the timing has to feel right to you.

“I find it helps people to think of it as starting again with a new pet, rather than replacing their old pet because you can never replace the unique role each pet plays in our lives.

“Once the initial shock and grief of a pet’s death have passed, many people do start to think about getting another pet and there are important considerations – such as your lifestyle and what you are looking for in a pet - to take into account,” says Dr Whiston.

“It is very likely that you will be at a different stage in your life than the one in which you acquired your previous pet so consider the type of pet – and even the breed – that suits your current lifestyle.

“With children in the house, many people are happy to have an active dog that the kids can run around with but on the other hand your new best friend might be a quiet dog that is happy to spend time indoors with you.

“You may also want to consider adopting a pet that is past the puppy or kitten stage.
There are many adult animals in shelters who need a permanent and caring home and
who have great love to give in return. Many people report that this is also an effective way of getting past concerns about house training a new pet,” Dr Whiston says.

If a friend or family member has lost their pet, it is best to let them wait until they feel it is the right time to get a new pet, Dr Whiston cautions.

“Never try to talk a friend or family member into getting another pet. Well-meaning
people sometimes even obtain a new pet for their friend or family member to help them
get over their grief but this can be a real problem if the person is not ready to bond with a pet or if their lifestyle is no longer suited to a pet.

“It is perfectly natural to mourn the loss of a beloved pet and only you will know when you are ready to move on with another pet. My advice to anyone at this difficult time is to remember that the mutual love, trust and companionship they enjoyed with their previous pet is waiting for them when they are ready to find their new best friend,” says Dr Whiston.

For information on finding the pet that may be suited to your lifestyle, visit Select-a-Pet.