Name Tag May Prevent Heartache

Mum & I came across this notice when we went for our walk. For dog lovers, losing a dog is traumatic as the dog is very much part of the family. As you know, I like to go on little adventures when my humans are not home. Read about it on Sit, Look Left, Look Right, OK and Rainy Day Adventures. So, my humans worry all the time about me getting lost.

Let me also share with you a story about another lost dog. A few years ago, we rescued a Daschund which was wondering around the suburb. We were out in the garden, enjoying a lazy evening when we saw a Chocolate-coloured Daschund roaming the street. My humans thought that it was Kit, a dog that lived on the next street. So, dad decided to get hold of Kit and return him to his human. Of course, Kit ran away and dad had to chase him. Since dad had longer legs, he managed to out-run Kit and caught hold of him. When we brought Kit back to his human, we discovered the real Kit in his house. So, the Daschund we thought was Kit, wasn't Kit after all! (Pretty confusing, huh?)

What do we do next? The Daschund had no tag. We were fairly certain that there were no other Daschunds living nearby coz we know all the dogs around our street (we walk around the neighbourhood a lot). My humans made some "Found Dog" signs and posted it around the neighbourhood. That night, "Kit who wasn't Kit" spent the night with us. He was a jealous chap and used to nudge his way forward to get attention from my humans. I didn't like him one bit but for the sake of my humans tolerated him. Plus, he kept peeing all over the front porch (coz he's a boy dog), so my humans had to keep cleaning it. (I've been trained to pee in the garden).

We continued to ask around. Finally, a neighbour saw a Lost Dog sign in the park and figured that our found dog and the lost dog could be one and the same. It was! That night, there was a happy reunion between "Kit who wasn't Kit" and his human. Turned out that the Daschund lived about 4 kms away and would have crossed the very busy 4-lane road (the same one I used to go to gramps' house) to get to where we lived. This little wanderer Daschund loves to roam around (sounds like me!) and it wasn't the first time he went missing.

Anyway, after that incident, my humans immediately got me a name tag and inscribed their phone numbers. They figured that if I ever go on my adventures (despite the precautions taken to prevent me from climbing out of our house), at least if some kind soul found me, they would be able to contact my humans. Of course, it doesn't prevent me from being stolen or kept for themselves. But, you know, there are enough good people in this world who would do the right thing. So humans, get a tag for your doggies. Better to be safe than sorry.