Lost Dog Was Found
Recently I was driving down a busy street in Minneapolis when I saw a large dog running frantically down the sidewalk. I followed the dog in my car trying to find a good place to pull over.
The dog was running so fast and I tried to stay with the dog. Quickly it ran down an alley and I decided to stay on the streets. At the end of the block, I spotted the dog again sniffing a snow pile
As I pulled up behind a parked car, a woman got out with her dog in the car. I shouted to her to open the door and let her dog out. She did and the lost dog ran to the car.
I grabbed the long-haired Rottweiler mix by her collar and started looking for information. The tags were of Midwest Animal Rescue and Services (MARS), a rescue group, and a microchip locator company. I headed to my veterinary clinic, Lake Harriet Veterinary.
Lake Harriet Veterinary staff scanned for the chip and called the microchip company. Now I knew the dog’s name was Mila, and her information still showed the rescue group.
At the same time, I called MARS only to get a recording. Grrrrrr. Fortunately I had a back door to MARS and called a friend. Because she was at work she didn’t have access to MARS’ computer database, and called another MARS volunteer to find the information. About 10 minutes later, the Mila’s pet parent call me.
In less than an hour, the dog was reunited with Melissa, who was searching for her. Mila was guilty of bolting out the front door.
Now please check your dog’s collar:
- Do you have a current tag with your dog’s name and your cell phone number?
- If your dog has a microchip, call the company and be sure your current information is recorded.
- If you received your dog from a rescue organization/shelter, be sure to change the information to your name and phone number.
By doing these steps, if your dog is ever lost, hopefully it will be returned home quickly.
I am not sure who wrote this story, but I would like to update some of the information so it is correct. I am with MARS and the answering machine she got is our lost dog line, which goes directly to my phone (as well as a secondary phone so all calls are responded to almost immediately so had she left a message, she would have been called back within minutes.
Most rescues keep their names on the microchip for this very reason. Oftentimes dogs come into rescues & shelters because owners don’t keep things current and if the dog is lost the rescue is notified to help connect the owner and finder or to get the dog back to the rescue while they look for the owner. It is a safety net for the dog so they are never “stuck” in a pound or worst case scenario, completely rehomed – only because the microchip information information for the owner was not current. If the owner adds themselves onto the microchip, they are typically the first point of contact. The rescue/shelter is just the safety net. Our first priority is the safety of the dog.
I hope that helps clear up some of the misunderstanding.from the article. I am happy to see people trying to get more dogs microchipped and to keep collars and tags on their dogs! It does make a huge difference. A collar tag is the fastest way to get a dog home. Should a tag or collar break, the microchip is a wonderful back up. Either way, the dog goes home!
Thank you
Amy
Midwest Animal Rescue
Director of Operations