12 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday June 28, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Call immediately when your pet is lost More than 5,000 animals a year find themselves at the Oakville & District Humane Society. For every 10 dogs coming into the shelter, eight will return home, but for cats only two out of 10 will be as lucky. Improving the odds of reconnecting with your lost pet is just a phone call away. noted Rachel Furness, of the Society's Customer Care Department. "If not, we at least have the appropriate information to help us match your animal to your lost report in the event it is picked up." Prevention is key to keeping your animal safe at home. To help improve the odds of reconnection in the event of loss, make sure that your animal has up-to-date identification and that you have a current picture. "Dogs in Oakville are required by law to wear an annual dog licence and cats to wear identification," stated Furness. "These are useful tools for matching lost pets with their owners. If the animal has a microchip, is tattooed or is wearing a name tag these also help to shorten the time it takes to reconnect a pet with its owner." Current identification is critical to a quick reconnection, it is also a message to anyone who finds your pet that it has an owner. Make sure your dog's identification is worn on a flat collar, and for cats on a quick release collar. If your animal is not wearing any visible identification, people may assume it is a stray and looking for a home and may choose to keep the animal instead of reporting their find. Even if your pet leaves home with identification, these items can fall off or be removed. Check the Humane Society every two days by telephone and visit the shelter at least once a week to go through the building's public adoption viewing and behind-thescenes kennel areas. "People sometimes visit the shelter and forget to tell the reception staff that they are looking for their lost pet. They immediately go to the adoption areas for dogs or cats and when they do not see their pet there, they are disheartened and leave. What they do not realize is that the public area is only a small portion of the areas in the building that we house lost/stray animals," added Furness. In actual fact, while there are often 19 dogs and 90 cats in the public viewing adoption areas, there can be more than 150 other animals in the building. When you visit the Humane Society please tell the receptionist that you are looking for your lost pet. Bringing in a current picture of your animal is also helpful. The colouring and unique markings of your pet can be important when matching animals picked up by Animal Protective Services staff. Leaving the picture on loan at the shelter will help with the matching process. In addition to calling and visiting the Society, there are other ways to help locate your lost pet. "Indoor cats are most likely to bolt when startled outdoors. The good news is that they usually don't travel too far. Look for a dark place that they might be hidden -- low hanging bushes, garages, sheds and decks. Cats can hide for days. Dogs are more likely to travel familiar routes," added Heather White, Community Outreach and Education Manager. If your pet is missing or you find a lost animal, immediately report it to the Oakville & District Humane Society at 905-845-1551. Typically, owners will wait several days before calling the lost and found department at the Society. The time lapse between first knowing the pet has gone and the phone call can be costly, but reporting the loss is not and can save unnecessary worry and grief. 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