RETURN TO OWNER

Here are some things you can do that will help you reunite with your pet if the unthinkable happens.

• Microchip your pet. (Make sure the veterinary scans their chip during your pet's annual checkup to ensure it's still active. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes the chips can fail.)  If your pet's microchip has failed, it will be necessary to implant another. Sometimes, they migrate.  At CHA, we scan a dog from head to tail when it arrives because we know that chips can migrate. Especially when placed on a young dog. Testing them during every visit is a great way to ensure you can be reached. If you move, don't forget to contact the microchip company and update your information. Many microchipped pets cannot be reunited because the shelters reach a dead-end microchip. (A microchip that has no updated information, such as the address and phone number of the owner.) 
• Use a slide-on name tag instead of a hanging name tag or both.  Sometimes, those tags can get snagged on something or fall off. If you cannot afford the cost of these tags, then use a permanent marker to inscribe the pet's name and your phone number. You must keep doing this periodically to ensure the information can still be read.  If you would like to purchase a slide-on tag, here's a link. We are not associated with this vendor.  https://www.dogids.com/category/slide-on-nameplates.
•  Combining all these methods increases your chances of being reunited with your animal.
• Please do not wait for your dog to return before filing a lost dog report. Filing an early report, using social media, and using old-fashioned methods (not everyone is on Facebook) such as calling animal control/shelters, etc., increase your chances.
• Be aware of the hold periods in your area. In Wisconsin, recent legislation was passed that decreased the amount of days an animal must be held before it can be released for adoption. That number is now 4 days. If a stray dog is ever brought into the CHA we will continue to hold it for a minimum of 7 days before it's made available for adoption.  As soon as you realize your animal is lost. Call, post, share.  We hope you never have to deal with the grief of losing an animal companion, but if you do, we hope these preventive measures will help you reunite.