To the Editor,
I have come to the sad conclusion that summer has a high lost or missing pet rate for both cats and dogs.
This is due to warmer weather which causes pets to venture further from their homes and causes them to seek out shade and cooler places to lay such as open garages or under decks.
I have also noticed that some people do everything in their power to get their pet back as quickly as possible. They call the SPCA, animal shelter, veterinarians, newspapers and put ads on websites.
Now while the person is trying to track down their pet, there is the other side of this story – those who know the whereabouts of that pet but don’t do anything.
If you notice an animal in your area make a quick call to the SPCA. Most likely if the pet is lost or missing, the SPCA has been informed.
If you can get close to the animal, check to see if there is a tattoo, or if the animal is fixed. This is a strong indication that the pet is ‘owned’.
We need everyone to be aware of ‘new pets’ in their area so the animal has a higher chance of getting home. For cats, it is easy for someone to just take it in.
Please be aware of the animals in your area. There are web sites like Facebook that have an animal lost and found page. Nanaimo Craigslist has a lost and found in the community section, as does Kijiji.
So many pets could be reunited with their worried owners if everyone did their part. Then the animal shelters and SPCA would have less animals to take care of.
Jennifer Altenburg
Nanaimo