South Florida Siberian Husky Rescue, Inc.

PREVENT LOSING YOUR DOG
No one plans to lose their dog. However, there are things you can do to help prevent it and—if your dog does get loose—things you can do ahead of time to ensure he or she makes it home safely.

SECURITY CHECKS

• Be sure to pet-proof your yard by checking your fence regularly for any new escape routes. Make sure that all fence gates are securely locked, to avoid any unwanted visitors or wanted visitors that may not realize your pet is in the yard. If you are using an electric fence, please be sure to properly train your dog to respect the fence. Also check often to make sure the batteries are fully charged.
• Be aware of your dog's personal and breed characteristics. Siberian Huskies were bred to run and cannot be trusted off-leash. Greyhounds are sight-hounds trained to chase small animals; with all the squirrels and bunnies in most neighborhoods, they should not be trusted off-leash. Even if your dog is a more reliable breed, he could get distracted by small animals, children playing, or a dog down the street. If he's on-leash, he can't run away. If you make sure doors and fence gates are always closed, he can't escape. The key is to be careful and take as many preventive measures as possible.

TAGS & IDENTIFICATION

• Pet Tags
  Statistics say that 95% of lost dogs that are wearing IDs are returned to their owner. 95% of dogs without IDs are never reunited with their owners. This is a pretty strong argument for having ID tags on your pet! You should periodically check your pet's tags to make sure they are readable. Pet ID tags should always have your current phone number on it.
  Places to get tags:
  http://www.id-ideas.com/pets.html
  http://www.boomerangtags.com/
• Microchipping
  Talk to your vet about a microchip implant. A chip provides positive and reliable identification for your pet and all modern shelters scan animals for this ID device. Be sure to continue to use a pet ID tag with your information, because if someone finds your dog and doesn't take your dog to the shelter, they do not have a scanner to check for the chip.
• Tattoos
  You can also ask your vet about pet tattoos. The problem with tattoos is that while they provide positive identification if done correctly, they can often be very difficult to read because hair has grown over it and/or the lost animal is frightened and will not allow inspection. If you do use a tattoo, we feel that the best place to apply it is on the inner thigh. Pet thieves have been known to cut off a tattooed ear!
• Rabies Tags
  It is absolutely vital that your pet wears a CURRENT rabies tag at all times! If a county happens to be under a "Rabies Alert" or a "Rabies Quarantine" and your pet is picked up without a current rabies tag, they WILL kill your loved one! It's a public health issue, so you will have no recourse. Please don't let this happen to your pet!

SPAY AND NEUTER

• Spay or neuter your pets! Both males and females will be much less likely to wander if they are "fixed." An added benefit is that they will live a longer, happier, healthier life if they are spayed or neutered.

LEASH

• All it takes is one time—one time for your dog to see or find something in the distance more interesting than you and they can be off and gone. Please always use a leash! Besides the safety consideration, it is the law. Be sure to check your leash often for any fraying or weaknesses. Don't take the risk; if your leash has been chewed on or is fraying, replace it.
  

COLLARS

• An ounce of prevention goes a long way. One way you can help to prevent your dog from becoming lost without tags is to find a good sturdy collar for your pet to wear. Attach your dog's rabies, license, and ID tag to this collar. When you are taking your dog out, attach the leash to a second collar; in case the collar that is connected to the leash breaks, your dog will still be wearing identification. Also, be sure that the collar you are using for walking your pet is tight enough that they cannot back out of it. The proper fit of a standard (non-choke) collar is to be able to fit two fingers between your pet's neck and the collar. You may also want to consider using either a choke collar or a semi-choke collar for walking your pet. Please note that neither of these type of collars should be left on your pet unless you are with your pet to supervise. They are meant for walking and training purposes only and if left on them when you are not around, they could easily hurt themselves if they get these collars caught on something.

TRAINING

• Teach your dog the command "Come!" Although it is not guaranteed that your dog will listen at that critical moment, it does certainly increase your chances. Make it pleasant for your pet to come to you when called—give him a treat, lots of praise, and then let him go play again. Practice this each day! And one last tip: don't use your dog's name in anger whenever they do something bad. Inevitably, your dog will associate his or her name as being a negative and are less likely to come when called.

PICTURES

• Always keep a recent photo of your pet handy. A puppy picture of your pet who is now missing at the age of 4 isn't good enough. Take close-up shots so that details show up well. Be patient, take lots of pictures, and try to do your best to capture what your pet really looks like. It also helps to have some pictures of your pet in cute poses or with a child. These photos, in addition to your close-up shots, are invaluable if your pet is ever lost. The cute shots help show that your pet needs to come home where he/she is well-loved. Better yet, make up a flyer with his picture and general information, such as his age, sex, breed and size and your contact information; this saves you from having to waste time making up the flyer after he's lost. When he gets lost, you can simply add the date and location where he was last seen to the flyer and start making copies.