 |
City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
|
NEWS ADVISORY
|
| SUBJECT: Seattle Animal Shelter Offers Dual Protection for Pets
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
3/30/2009 12:05:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Don Jordan (206)386-4286
Kara Main-Hester (206) 386-4293
Katherine Schubert-Knapp (206) 684-0909
Kathy Sugiyama (206) 684-0909
|
Seattle Animal Shelter Offers Dual Protection for Pets
In recognition of “National Tag Day,” April 4, 2009
In recognition of “National Tag Day” on April 4, and as part of an ongoing return-to-owner campaign, the Seattle Animal Shelter extends an offer to Seattle pet owners to provide dual protection for their pets. The offer runs from April 4 through 10 and includes:
· Two personalized pet tags for the price of one when purchasing or renewing a two-year Seattle cat or dog license, and
· Free registration with the Seattle Animal Shelter of a pet’s microchip when renewing or purchasing a Seattle pet license. This is offered to Seattle pet owners who have had their pets microchipped by a veterinarian. For the price of a pet license, you can give your “best friend” a one-way ticket home.
“Consider it a life insurance policy for your pet,” says Seattle Animal Shelter Director Don Jordan. “With the dual protection of both a pet license and a personalized pet identification tag combined with free microchip registration on our database, we are promoting a very progressive program aimed at reuniting lost pets with their owners.”
If a pet wearing its license or personalized pet identification tag shows up at the shelter, the owner is notified. If humane animal law enforcement officers find an identified pet in the field, they will attempt to return it to its owner rather than take it to the animal shelter. Additionally, experience shows that often an injured animal wearing a pet license or identification tag is more likely to receive life saving veterinary care if the owner is not around.
Jordan offers the following pet identification tips and benefits:
· All dogs and cats should wear a collar with a pet license and identification tag and they should have a microchip implanted by their veterinarian.
· A personalized pet identification tag should include the pet’s name and the pet owner’s contact information at home and work.
· An indoor cat should wear a license and pet identification tag with a break-way collar even if it is never let outside. Cats easily escape through open doors and windows, especially as we enter the spring and summer months.
· If traveling with a pet, notify Seattle Pet Licensing with your temporary contact information so it can be noted on your pet’s license record. Additionally, consider adding a temporary pet identification tag with the contact information of someone who knows how to reach you.
· If you are willing to pay a reward for your pet’s safe return, put the word “REWARD” on the pet identification tag.
According to a study by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, about one million dogs and more than 500,000 cats are taken into animal shelters as strays each year. Sadly, only about 15 percent of those dogs and 2 percent of the cats are reunited with their owners.
“If your pet gets lost and doesn’t have a license tag, identification tag or a microchip, the odds are you’ll never see it again,” says Jordan. “It is our sincere hope that the dual protection of a pet license and personalized pet identification tag, combined with free microchip registration, will increase the odds that you and your pet are reunited if your pet is ever lost or stolen.”
Seattle Animal Shelter is one of several shelters across the country participating in National Tag Day, sponsored by the American Humane Association. This event focuses on the importance of pet identification as a means of protecting animals and helping reduce the number of animals needlessly euthanized each year.
The Seattle Animal Shelter is located at 2061 15th Avenue W., approximately one mile south of the Ballard bridge. Shelter hours are noon. to 6 p.m. every day for adoptions, and from 9 a.m. for licensing. For more information, call (206) 386-PETS or visit www.seattleanimalshelter.org.
-30-
| 
