The issue of losing your dog is a much bigger issue than either the media or the mainstream pet organizations have confessed to in recent years. The large-scale organizations have pushed microchips as a means to minimize your chances of losing your pet, however the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) have switched their focus and in 2012 they conducted a five-year survey to set a gauge on the amount of pets that are lost each year.

The survey was conducted with 1,015 households across the US and allowed us to see that more dogs and cats are lost each year than expected. The positive of the survey was that owners know the ways that they can find their dogs, however it emphasizes that we need to use technology to help us find these pets quickly and make sure they are safe.

Findings of The ASPCA Lost Pet Survey

The key points of the lost pet survey include:

• 15% of owners are reporting their dog or cat as lost
• Thanks to education, pet owners know where to look for their pets – in shelters, and on social media
• 93% of dogs and 75% of cats lost were eventually found
• 6% of dog owners and 2% of cat owners found their lost pets at shelters
• Dogs were recovered thanks to their identification tags

The information in the survey was a little shocking to us and it lead us to two important conclusions.

Owners Must Have Tags on Their Dogs

Dogs with tags have a great chance of being recovered. It is important the owners name, address and phone number is on the dog tag as it gives a great point of contact. The ‘Good Samaritans’ out there will quickly call and schedule a meeting to pick-up your pet.

GPS Trackers Are the Future

Technology has made so many elements of our lives easier. When it comes to tracking our pets, the solution is real-time, cellular based GPS collars. These collars allow for us to see our dog’s location at all times and to even set a geo-fence, so that if a dog leaves our house or apartment we receive an alert via our cell phones.