Less than two percent of cats and only 15-20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners, according to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy. In honor of National Pet ID Week (April 15-21), let's all give our pets the best chance of coming home in the event they are lost!
New
technologies mean you now have more options than ever for protecting your pets
if they are separated from you. For example, microchipping is a popular process
in which a 
microchip about the size of a piece of rice is implanted under your
pet's skin.
When the microchip is scanned at a veterinarian's office or animal shelter, it will pull up your pet's information in a national database. If your pet is already microchipped, find your microchip registration card--or contact the vet or shelter that did the implant to learn where it is registered--and make sure your contact information is current.
However, advanced forms of ID do NOT mean you should abandon traditional ID tags on your pets' collars! This is still the quickest, simplest way for the average person on the street to help reunite you with your pet.
Rachel Baum,CPDT-KA
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