Each year on February 14, the United States celebrates National Pet Theft Awareness Day. As many as two million pets are stolen each year and only 105 are ever recovered. Many are sold to research laboratories while others are used as breeders in puppy mills, in dog-fighting rings and many other cruel acts.
How You Can Help Keep Your Pet Safe
- Keep your pet indoors, especially when you are away from home..
- Identify your pet with a collar and tag, as well as a microchip or and tattoo.
- Spay or neuter your pets. Fixed animals are less likely to stray from home.
- Keep your pet on a leash whenever you go outside.
- Do not tie your pet outside a store to wait for you while you shop.
- Never leave an animal unattended in a car.
- Padlock your gate.
- Maintain an up-to-date license on your pet.
- Keep recent photos and a written description of your companion animal on hand at all times.
- Distribute literature on pet theft in your community. Contact Stolen Pets.com for brochures, flyers and posters.
Have a heart... protect your pet this Valentine's Day.
