A little piece of metal could make the difference between life and death! According to the American Humane Association, approximately 15 million dogs and 9 million cats enter shelters throughout the United States each year as strays. Sadly, only 19% of dogs and 3% of cats get returned to their owners. A dramatic increase would occur if owners would responsibly tag and license their pets. County animal regulations require pets to be licensed. Has your license been renewed lately?

One of the possible benefits for a licensed pet is to get priority medical treatment if they are picked up injured. Licensed pets are taken to an emergency veterinary hospital for stabilizing treatment with all reasonable efforts made to save the pet's life, while attempts are made to reach the owner. Unfortunately, badly injured unlicensed pets are often euthanized to prevent suffering.

Most shelters will also house licensed pets longer than those without identification, as the hope for reaching the owner is greater. Always keep your local shelter informed if you change your address, as they can only count on their most current records to reach you. Be certain to contact the animal shelter if your pet is missing, often they can help.

If your pet should bite someone while at large, a rabies tag will serve as proof that your pet was vaccinated for rabies. This is very beneficial for the victim, relieving them from fear of getting rabies, let alone preventing their need for unnecessary treatment. Nationally, animal shelters require stray biters to be euthanized if no proof of a rabies vaccination can be found. So keep in mind that having your pet vaccinated for rabies isn't enough, owners must put rabies tags on their pets collars to prevent it from being a question to others. Doing so might very well be saving its life in the future.

Your pet may have several tags on its collar and none of them may be a current license. There are tags for rabies, identification, adoption, licensing, veterinarian info., etc. Be sure that your pet has all the proper tags necessary. One tag may serve one purpose, but it likely won't serve them all. Just because your pet wears its license, it won't be enough proof to be certain what vaccinations were given.

Even the most responsible owners experience unexpected circumstances that cause pets to accidentally stray, becoming lost or injured. Show you care by properly identifying them. There is an assortment of personalized tags to choose from, some even reflective! Those tags could end up saving his or her life someday!!!

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