New Technology is "Chipping" Away At the Problem Of Lost Pets

New Technology Is “Chipping” Away At The Problem Of Lost Pets

(NAPSA)—Each year, more than 10 million pets become lost and nearly 90 percent of those pets without identification never make it home. To raise awareness of the millions of lost pets, HomeAgain®, a leader in the pet microchip, recovery and safety service, is partnering with dog lover and “Ugly Betty” star Vanessa Williams to
launch the national Bring Pets Home Campaign. Together, Home-Again and Williams are setting a goal of microchipping and enrolling 2 million pets by the end of this year.

“Less than 5 percent of the 145 million pets in the United States benefit from the lifesaving technology of microchipping,” says Williams. “I am so thankful that I microchipped and enrolled my dog Enzo with HomeAgain’s Proactive Recovery Service. Without it, I may have never been reunited with my dog.”

Reunited Pets of America Campaign

Reunited Pets of America is an educational effort that showcases the important role microchipping plays in saving pets’ lives, with a goal of engaging millions of pet owners to get their pets microchipped and enrolled in the proactive recovery network. The process is easy:

• First, get your pet microchipped at your local vet’s office. To microchip your pet, a veterinarian implants a tiny chip about the size of a grain of rice just under your pet’s skin and between the blades. Comparable to an
immunization, the procedure is fast, safe and painless.
• Once your pet is chipped, it’s important to enroll it in a national database such as Home-Again Proactive Pet Recovery Service. Unfortunately, half of the pets that are chipped are not enrolled in a database. Enrollment
in a database offers your pet the best chance to be reunited with you if lost.
• Finally, register to become a HomeAgain PetRescuer. By joining the HomeAgain PetRescuers, a volunteer network of animal lovers, you can help solve the tragic lost-pet problem. As a PetRescuer you will be alerted through e-mail when a pet goes missing in your area and be encouraged to keep watch and assist in search efforts.

The Proactive Pet Recovery Difference

The HomeAgain Proactive Pet Recovery Service offers a unique proactive approach for pet owners that utilizes the same communitywide notification principles originally developed to help locate missing children. Within minutes of a missing pet report being filed with the 24/7 emergency call center, dispatchers will notify area police, animal control officers, shelters and veterinary clinics, and a local team of PetRescuers—community residents who’ve volunteered to be on the lookout for lost pets. Dispatchers will share key information, such as the pet’s description, a photo and the owner’s contact information. The service also will instantly generate personalized “Lost Pet” posters for owners to distribute and post in their neighborhood.

Beyond relaying basic contact information, the HomeAgain network connects veterinary clinics with shelters to provide a pet’s medical information instantaneously to the shelter or clinic that makes the initial recovery. For some pets, receiving the appropriate medication while away from home can be crucial. With this network, HomeAgain goes beyond the microchip to proactively hit the streets and search for missing pets—hopefully increasing the chances of reuniting loved pets with their owners.

“A common mistake that pet owners make is that they think their pets won’t get lost,” said Dr. Jeff Werber, veterinarian to the stars. “However, one in three will become lost. The best thing you can do is be prepared with a HomeAgain microchip and enroll your pet in the proactive service. To date, HomeAgain is responsible for reuniting almost 400,000 pets with their owners.”

Original Source: napsnet.com