Virginia: I have a few stories on my blog about dogs who were lost for a couple of years… two, three, four years. And they were returned because they had microchips. People saw the microchips, and they were found, sometimes hundreds of miles from home, and they got back to their owners because someone read the microchip.
Lorien: yes, I can’t say how important that identification is. Microchips are of course the best safety net to have. One thing, though, there is a false sense of security with a microchip. The fact that it took two or three years for them to get home kind of speaks to that’s false sense of security. We talk to a lot of people at events say “oh, my pet’s microchipped”, which is great. You absolutely should microchip your pet. However, you are then relying on whoever finds your pet to take them to a vet or shelter to get them scanned. A lot of things have to go right for that pet to get home with just a microchip. So, those who just don’t want their pets to have to wear a collar, or think that an ID Tag is just not attractive enough, or have a pet that doesn’t like to wear collars… they are just setting themselves up for that two or three years to get their pet back. Pets that get home quickly usually have an external ID tag and they don’t have to go to a shelter or veterinarian to get scanned. You can get them home immediately with that ID that’s on the outside.
Virginia: OK, we’ll talk about that in a minute. First, say your dog does disappear, what are the first things you should try to do to get him back safely?
Lorien: First, at PetHub we preach preparation. So, before your pet even gets lost we suggest you, right now, as you’re reading this article, go make a lost pet kit for yourself. Something that will fit in a small Rubbermaid tub-type container. It should have everything that you need to quickly find that pet. Things like pre-made posters… They won’t have the time that they were lost, but you could put your dogs picture on it, as well as information on how to contact you. There should also be tape, a staple gun, and plastic sleeves for the fliers if you live somewhere where they might get wet. It should have an extra phone charger, some smelly treats, a spare collar and a harness, a whistle or a bell, or maybe something that you’ve used to train your pet. It should have a flashlight in case you have to look for him at night, as well as a first aid kit. So when you’re in that moment of panic you don’t have to think of these things. Put them all in the kit ahead of time, so it’s just grab and go. Especially if you have a pet that’s a frequent flyer, one that likes to roam, it’s important to have that ready to go.
And, remember that time is of the essence. Getting started immediately it’s going to be the key to getting your pet home fast. We talked to some people that maybe waited a couple of hours to see if he’d come home. That couple of hours can truly be the difference between life and death for some of these animals, so get going immediately.
There’s a lot of different tools that are out there. Lost pet posters are great. Most pets are lost within their own neighborhood, so do a canvas of the neighborhood and get the neighbors involved. Get them searching in their backyards. If your dog has some frequent haunts you can go looking there. One thing to do before you leave home to go searching for him is to open your garage door slightly, just enough for him to get inside. Inside the door put some of their favorite food, preferably something that’s smelly. Put some of your clothing that you’ve worn recently out there so they have your scent, and some water. Especially if they’ve been missing for a while, they’re hungry, they’re cold, they’re missing you. If you give them easy access into your house, even if you are not there, so they are able to go into that garage they’ll stay there if they can smell your scent and they’re feeling safe.
Virginia: Your company does a lot with technology. You’re going to be at the Global Pet Expo (in Orlando) the beginning of March, and I was reading something about it. There are a lot of terms there that I don’t quite understand. Some of them I do understand, like QR codes, I do understand them. There are terms like “QR code pet ID tags”, “NFC wireless technology”, “GPS mapping”, and “Bluetooth technology”. Would you just briefly explain what these are and how people can use them to get the dogs back if they’re lost.
Lorien: No problem. QR is one of the core features of the PetHub solution. QR means “quick response”, and it’s a black-and-white code that you find on an ID tag. You use your smart phone and the QR–reading app. You point your camera at the code. It quickly scans it and then goes to an online pet profile. This has all the pet’s information. Things that they need to get home quickly, things that they might need in terms of health and safety, for example if they have an allergy or are on some type of medication, things like that. That’s the QR part of what we do.
