Here's the thing about escaped dogs & cats -- if you have a dog, he or she really needs a tag, a collar & a microchip. That way there's more hope of getting him or her back if he does escape. The leash wrapped around the neck & no tags suggests some degree of carelessness. Dogs get out, it's really hard to prevent 100% of doggie escapes. We had an escape artist dog -- she was like something out of Hogan's Heroes with her tunneling, fence climbing & so on. She had tags (this was the 1970s, no microchips). That way, if someone found her before I did, they could call us.
Cats are somewhat easier to keep indoors in my experience, but if there is any chance they will get out, again, tags & a microchip will help bring them home again safely.
If and when I have a boid, I suspect I will microchip it too, even if it isn't required by law. Improves the animal's chances in case of a disaster.
I have found & returned dogs & cats to their humans over the years -- they all had tags, or a collar, that told me where to call. Seems like that's the minimum a good owner can do.
This is just IMHO & I apologize if I have offended.
I definitely agree about microchipping. All of my furkids are microchipped, including my ferrets. Collars are a good idea, but also consider they can be a hazard, (if they get hung up on a fence or something) & they can also slip out of or break them (which is why all of mine are microchipped, with my # & my vets #).
I saw a GSD on the side of the freeway one morning on my way to workout, but I couldn't stop because I was in the far opposite lane. I called WSP to find out if they had the report of it (he had been hit), & they said they did, & someone was going to take care of it.
On my way back, I saw he was still there, so I doubled back & stopped. He was dead. He had no collar, but I called a nearby shelter and asked if they would scan him for a microchip, so I could locate the owners (if it were me, I would want to know). They said they would, so I loaded him in my truck & took him there. (This was very hard for me, especially being a GSD, it hit really close to home).
He was microchipped, but it only had the vet info, so I called them. To make a long story short(er), I did finally track the owners down, it took me two hours, but I found them, & returned their dog to them. I also found out that he had been picked up around the freeway before. Does this make the owners irresponsible? Maybe. Maybe he was an escape artist & they've had bad luck keeping him in their yard. IDK.
One thing that made me mad, was he was left on the side of the road, after he was hit. None of the freeway agencies would pick him up. (One didn't pick up dogs, the other didn't pick them up if they were still alive, only deceased.) I hope that he did not suffer. That was 2 yrs ago & it still makes me cry.
My dogs are never left outside unattended. I am probably over protective of my animals, & I worry constantly about them.
