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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2016)
24 Wednesday, August 24, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon The Nugget Newspaper Crossword By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service photo by JoDi schneiDer McnaMee oliver always wears his collar with identification tag. ID TAGS: Vets and Furry Friends seeing untagged pets Continued from page 3 helps us get their dog home safer and faster so the dog doesn’t have to stay in the shelter, which can be trau- matic for the animal,” Brown added. Collars – with identification and contact information – are your pets’ fastest ticket back to you should they become lost. A study done by ASPCA in 2011 found that while 80 per- cent of pet owners thought pet ID tags were important, only 33 percent of them said their pet wears an ID tag all of the time. The Nugget Newspaper receives calls frequently for lost and found dogs and cats. “It never ceases to amaze me that nine times out of 10, the pet is not wearing a collar with ID,” said Furry Friends Foundation (FFF) Director Kiki Dolson. “What could have been an easy process of matching the pet to its owner now is not. Even if your dog is microchipped, they should wear a collar with a phone- number tag.” Identification has come a long way, and pet parents today have multiple options to protect their animal. However, the best bet is to combine the options and use an identifi- cation tag along with some- thing more permanent, like a microchip. Microchips are rice-grain- sized identification pieces that are implanted under the skin at the back of the animal’s neck. These microchips can be read by anyone with a scanner — veterinarians, animal shelters and animal control officers. Not all people know or are willing to take a dog that they have found without ID to a vet’s office to be scanned. Sisters Veterinarian Clinic technician Darcy Marshall says the clinic has its share of lost dogs year-round. “Most of the lost dogs that we come in contact with are without outward iden- tification,” Marshall said. “However, we do have the ability to scan the dogs for a microchip and find that about 50 percent are chipped. The bottom line is that people should identify their pets in every way if they want to keep them safe and get them returned as soon as possible.” Kitties can be chipped too. If you choose to put a collar on your cat, make sure it is the break-away or stretch-and- release variety. A bell is like a dinner call to coyotes, so depending on where you live, you may want to forgo that. Having identification with contact information securely attached to your pet’s neck makes it much more likely that you’ll get your furry fam- ily member back if he decided to take off on a solo adventure. Often people who have reported a lost dog to The Nugget say that the dog did not have his collar on because he was recently bathed. “Please remember when you bathe your dog, put his collar back on immediately,” said Dolson. If your dog goes missing, having him licensed drasti- cally improves your chances of getting him back. Furry Friends Foundation will sponsor rabies vaccinations through Bend Spay & Neuter so your dog can be licensed. A license tag helps animal control and shelters quickly identify your dog and get him back to you safely. If your dog is found wandering the streets, a rescue organization can eas- ily look up your dog via its license identifying number. FFF will also sponsor the license fee and the ID tag cost. Stop by The Nugget office — FFF is located inside — and fill out a simple application. If you want to get your pet chipped, the cost is $25 at Bend SNIP walk-in well- ness clinics, held on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The mission of FFF is to help pets remain in their homes by operating a pet-food bank at the Kiwianis build- ing, providing spay/neuter/ vaccination sponsorships, and assisting with emergency medical needs to families in financial hardship. — Last Week’s Puzzle Solved — This Week’s Crossword Sponsors Buy More, Save More!* 25% OFF BLINDS! FREE Cordless Upgrade! PLUS buy 5 blinds GET AN EXTRA 5% OFF or buy 15 GET AN EXTRA 10% OFF 541-788-8444 • Free Consulting • Find us online at www.BudgetBlinds.com CCB Licensed #197715 | Bonded | Insured | 30+ Years Experience Offer valid through Budget Blinds of Deschutes County only. Cannot be combined with any other offers. *On Signature Series. Expires 8/30/16
