What To Do If Your Pet Gets Lost During Winter

December 27, 2019

Winter can be an especially scary time to have a pet go missing. With the cold and wet weather, it’s hard to imagine your pet lost and on its own. Here are some tips to help you keep your pet home and safe this winter.

Avoid Losing Your Pet

Pet personalities vary greatly. While some animals want to snooze and hibernate away the winter safe in your warm home, other can get “cabin fever” and attempt to get loose outdoors. Make sure to keep an eye on your animal at all times!

When walking outside, always keep your dog on a leash. You may think your dog listens well to voice commands off of the leash, but you never know what to expect when it sees another animal or a different interesting smell.

Use a proper leash and collar setup or harness to keep your pet from pulling away from you during outside activities. If a dog decides to chase something they can sometimes pull the leash through your hand or slip out of an ill-fitting collar. This can be even worse on winter ice and snow. Keep leashes looped on your hand and always grasp it firmly. Pay attention to your dog so if it yanks the leash, your wrist or shoulder will not be hurt and you won’t slip on ice.

If you let your dog out into a fenced-in yard, now is the time to check the fence for damage. Check gates for proper latching and the fence perimeter to make sure dogs aren’t digging under. Continue regular checks throughout the year. Make sure the fence is tall enough to keep your dog in and other animals out.

Get your pet microchipped! Microchipping is a cheap, quick, and permanent way to always be able to identify an animal. It is about the size of a grain of rice and does not hurt the animal. Animal shelters and veterinarians always check for a microc