What You Can Do Now to Make a Search for a Missing Dog Easier

Losing a dog is a difficult, frustrating, and emotional time. There are, however, several things you can do before a pet goes missing, that will make searching, and ultimately finding, your lost pet easier and more efficient.

Be sure to keep a collar on your dog with a current rabies tag, pet license tag, and your most current phone number. Having an up-to-date collar will greatly increase your chances of being reunited with your dog.

Be sure to take photos that show your dog's entire body, not just his face, so he will be unmistakable on a flier.

Because collars and ID tags can be pulled off or come loose when your dog is missing, it is important to use some sort of permanent identification. Microchip implants provide a permanent and reliable means of identifying lost pets. Most shelters and rescue societies scan pets as soon as they find them to check for any I.D. implants.

Caring for Your Dog When You're Sick

When you get sick and lose much of your strength or mobility, a simple task like walking a dog can seem overwhelming. Yet living with an illness doesn't mean you have to live without your beloved pet, and in most cases you shouldn't give up your dog. After all, research indicates that companion animals enhance immune functioning by decreasing the impact of stress.

If your condition makes everyday pet care too challenging, you'll need to find outside assistance to make sure your dog gets the food, grooming, exercise, and general care he needs. When relatives, friends, and neighbors can't help, a pet sitter may be able to lend a hand. Typically, pet sitters help by providing everything from emergency foster care and animal transportation to dog walking and other services.

Interesting Facts from Cat History

The first cats to live near people were in Egypt. The mice and rats that filled the Egyptian grain stores probably attracted these cats. The appreciative Egyptians worshipped these animals and gave them a central place in their culture. The cats were considered gods and killing a cat was punishable by death.

Cats are kept as mousers in Buddhist temples across Asia. These cats may be ancestors of the Siamese breed.

Charles Lindbergh's record-breaking flight from New York to Paris off is commemorated in a Spanish stamp showing his cat "Patsy" watching as his plane takes off. Patsy often accompanied Lindbergh on his flights, but did not go on the 1927 flight that made him famous.

Engineers building the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington were stymied. They were trying to thread a cable through some pipelines but were unable to do so until a cat saved the day. Harnessed to the cable, it crawled through the maze of pipelines to successfully complete the job.

The very first cat show took place in London in 1871 at the Crystal Palace. The first US cat show, for Maine Coon cats, was held in New England shortly thereafter.