Microchipping has helped an elderly Jack Russell find her way home after just a few hours, and local dog control say it’s just one of the tools that can help reunite lost pets with their owners.
Poppy, an 11-year-old Jack Russell, managed to squeeze herself out for a walk recently, slipping her collar and registration tag in the process.
Poppy was found in The Meadows, Richmond, not far from her home, and due to her being microchipped she was reunited with two-year-old Mackenzie Brown and her family in a matter of hours.
Poppy’s escape is not a unique story, every hour posts appear on social media with lost and found pets - all with mixed outcomes.
Although lost pets can happen despite best efforts, there are things that can be done to help them reunite with their owners.
Tasman dog ranger John Griffiths explains that a dog with a registration tag attached to their collar often leads to a quicker reuniting.
“You have a higher chance of finding your dog quicker and less chance of it ending up at the pound if your dog has a collar with its registration tag attached,” he says.
“It’s likely that your dog will be found by a member of the public before us, so if your dog has its tag on, that person can ring the council and give them the tag number.
“Then you can be reunited, sometimes without us even being involved.”
Dogs do sometimes lose their collars and registration tags, just like Poppy, so microchips are an essential backup option in the event of accidental separation, he says.
John recommends that anyone missing a dog should contact their local council first and put a picture up on social media.
“Social media is a great way to find a missing dog,” he says.
“If we pick up a dog that has no tags and no microchip, we take a photo of the dog and put it up on social media.”
And it’s the same for a found dog - your first step should be to contact your local council, then pop up a picture on social media.
If the animal has no tags, contact Tasman Dog Control or a vet to have the animal scanned for a microchip.
“If your animal is microchipped and you have kept your details up-to-date via the council there’s not many reasons why we shouldn’t be able to reunite you with your pet,” John says.
