No matter how careful we are, the possibility of our pet getting lost or escaping is never completely ruled out. An unintentional oversight can lead to unpleasantness. For example, a badly fastened leash or one that slips out of our hand, or a door that is not properly closed. Either release the animal in an area that we thought was controlled, but it gets lost or we lose sight of it.
According to the report "He would never do it", the study on the abandonment and adoption of companion animals prepared in 2022 by the Affinity Foundation, in 2021 2.6% of dogs and cats in Spain were lost or abandoned. Of the 285,000 dogs and kittens collected by the protectors, only 19% and 4% respectively were returned to their families.
Fortunately, there are many pet identification and location systems with which we can find them if they escape or get lost. Likewise, they serve as a guarantee to be able to denounce the abandonment of animals, with sanctions now toughened by the new Animal Welfare Law.
Without a doubt, the most useful animal identification system is the microchip. This device is the size of a grain of rice and is injected into the animal without harming it. The chip contains an alphanumeric combination that identifies the animal and, by scanning it, it is possible to access the data of its owners that appear in a national and international database.
There are several registries where this information is recorded. In Europe there is EuroPetNet, a group of associations that identify pets. In Spain, REIAC is the Spanish Network for the Identification of Companion Animals, a non-profit association that brings together the databases of the 17 Autonomous Communities and the two Autonomous Cities of our country.
The microchip is mandatory in Spain for dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and ferrets. However, according to the aforementioned Affinity Foundation report, it is carried by 89% of the general population of dogs and 51% of the general population of cats. Of those collected by protectors in 2021, only 28.3% of dogs and 3.8% of cats had microchip identification.
The microchip is placed at the vet and it is essential to keep the data updated, especially if we change telephone numbers or residence. Likewise, the pertinent transfer of the pet must be made if we move to another Autonomous Community, since each one maintains its own record of identification of companion animals.
Beyond the microchip, it is always recommended that our dog or cat wear an identification tag on their collar or harness. His name and our phone number can be engraved on it, or even a QR code containing our detailed information.
In addition, it is increasingly popular to attach GPS tracking devices to the dog's collar or harness, so that we can record its exact location from the mobile phone.
