Much depends on your pet, its nature and location but here are some of the suggestions we give to owners:
- Microchip your pet if you can and keep the chip details up to date.
- For dogs, your dog must wear a collar and ID tag (by law) when in a public place.
- It is not a requirement for cats to have a collar, and many owners do not use them, but they can be useful if your cat goes missing.
- Consider using a harness for your dog, rather than a collar to attach a lead as these are more difficult to slip out out of.
- Consider using a tracker from a reputable company (e.g. Tractive). Please note that AirTags or similar devices do not work if your dog is lost in remote rural areas and are not considered an appropriate alternative to a tracker.
- Consider getting additional training for your dog so that its recall is good. If your dog’s recall is not good, or if it is easily spooked, do not let it off a lead.
- Take some recent pictures of your pet, as these will be useful if it does go missing.
- If your pet is a bit of an escape artist, consider escape proofing your house and/or garden! This could be as simple as checking gaps under a fence, or putting in a child gate across main doors.