Mary O’Neill
I hear it all the time. Your pet isn’t microchipped because it never leaves your side. Well, until it does. Microchipping is like buying homeowners insurance. You don’t buy insurance after your home burns down—you buy the insurance in case it does. You microchip your pet in case something happens.
Within the past year, here are some of the situations that we have responded to:
A cat that escaped when the housekeeper was going in and out of the house. Unfortunately, the housekeeper didn’t even notice the cat leaving.
A pair of dogs that escaped out the semi-barricaded open front door when the owner was not aware.
A dog that ran out the door that connects the house and garage, just when the big garage door was open, and running out of that as well.
A dog that escaped the backyard when a worker left the gate open and the owner was not aware. This one is quite common.
A dog escaping from a pet sitter, who didn’t know how the dog got out.
All but one of these cases had a happy ending. However, in almost every case the animal was not microchipped, and none of these animals had a collar or harness with a tag. It can be quite challenging to try to find the pet owner without any information to go on, and it takes more time to get them returned home.
We are incredibly thankful for every resident who spots an animal loose in the community and stops to help. No dog or cat should ever be seen on the loose in PebbleCreek. If you see a loose animal that is friendly and you can easily rescue it, please do so and call us. If you are unable to rescue it, please call the Patrol Office at 623–935-0387 with a description and location, and then call us at 425–870-9326. If your own pet escapes, please call patrol and then call us. Patrol and Pet Companions work together on many rescues.