CURRENTS April 2017 | Page 5

Currents April 2017 > continued from page 4 would in a criminal case. Step IV. Distribute flyers and while you post them, speak to neighbors and remind the neighborhood kids that they can get a reward for information that leads to finding your pet. Step V. Use a social media outlet that will spread the word fast. Make note of any contractors that were in the neighborhood that day. The pet many times is seen by the lawn crew. Step VI. After the first day, you can have mailers sent to certain zip codes. Get the flyer to the Humane Society and rescue groups. Many times, a finder will have picked the dog up while traveling in their car. They do not live in the area and they are only passing through when suddenly your dog appears in a busy inter- section. They open the door and call the dog, he or she jumps in and it is off to the next county. Most of those people will come back to look for flyers. Prevention The most important thing for you to do right now is to secure an identification tag onto your pet. Use a plastic tie wrap instead of the split ring supplied. They last longer and it prevents the tag from jingling. Jingling wears out the writing and prevents the finder from reading the tag. Lastly, do not remove the collar when bathing the pet. Many peo- ple tell us that the reason their pet wasn't wearing his or her col- lar was because they were just given a bath. Did you know that if you find a pet you are obligated by law to report it to the Animal Control agency of that jurisdiction? You are also required to place an ad in a local newspaper publication for three days. When you place the continued on page 6 > 5