The Association Blog

It’s time once again to pause and reflect on ways we can decrease the need for lost pets to enter the shelter at any time of year

There has been a long-standing myth that the day after the 4^th of July is the highest intake day for shelters across the country. But did you see the post from Shelter Animals Count this past week? They looked at intake trends for strays based on data that shelters submitted in 2023—and they found that, in fact, the 4^th is not the highest intake day. Cool stuff!

Back in 2014 while we were digging into data at the ASPCA, our findings were similar. Despite news story after news story noting July 5th as the highest intake day, it was not. We did find that summer months had higher intake than other times of year, and while we do not know why that is for sure,  one can see how being outside more would increase the likelihood of seeing stray animals – and we tend to be outside more in the summer. Pets are also more likely to be outside in the summer, and being outside can make for a higher likelihood of getting lost.

Before you send me an angry email or blast me on social media, I am not suggesting that fireworks are not aversive to pets (and yes, humans…). If I had my way, we would be celebrating without the bangs and booms. What I am suggesting is that we use this as an opportunity to pull up and remember that no matter how much we feel something to be true, the data matters. In this case, we certainly want to remind people how scary fireworks can be to pets, and to take advantage of the opportunity to get the word out to keep pets safe. However, we should pause to reflect on ways we can decrease the need for lost pets to enter the shelter at any time of year.

And here we have some good data to support what you might do to make a big difference. About twice a year a story hits the newswire about a dog or cat who was returned home years after he was lost because of a microchip. I am a fan of microchips, and those stories sure are heartwarming… But goodness, if Sammy had also been wearing an old-fashioned ID tag that contained the cell phone numbers of his person and an emergency contact, he could have been home by dinner! And… he would have never had to step foot into your shelter in the first place.

Simple ID tags with multiple cell numbers are magic. When a good Samaritan finds a lost pet, they want to get him home. But if all he has is a microchip, the finder first needs to know about microchips, and then needs to be comfortable putting the pet in their vehicle, find an open vet or shelter to scan the pet, and hope the information on the microchip has been updated… a long chain to getting Sammy home. If, however, Sammy has on an ID tag with the owner’s cell, their partner’s cell and an emergency contact’s cell on there, it is highly likely that Sammy’s people will be reached and he can just go home.

We can increase ID tagging in a very simple way, just by putting the tag on the collar for the owner at the time of adoption. Note, the tag should not have your shelter’s information – remember the goal here is for the pet to not enter your shelter –  but with the new adopter’s contact info.

Back in 2011, the late Dr. Linda Lord, Dr. Margaret Slater and myself published research on just this topic. In one study we found that while 80% of owners think it is very important for pets to wear ID tags, only 33% of them actually had a tag on their pet!  Big disconnect between belief and behavior (which is not uncommon for us homo sapiens)! 

Instead of trying to change behavior, we thought, What if we just put the tag on for them? So we did. Working with a shelter and several vet clinics (where most pets will find themselves at some point), personalized ID tags were placed on pets and follow-up was conducted about 2 months after placement.  Most pets—a whopping 84%–still had the ID tag on, meaning that we were able to increase the outcome we wanted (visible ID on pets) through a very low-cost intervention. 

If you are interested in decreasing stray intake, ID tagging with personalized tags can be a great, and low-cost, way to do so.  Engaging spay/neuter clinics, the veterinary community and even the pet supply stores in your area can help ensure that more Sammys avoid entering your shelter as a stray, and get home by dinner…whether that’s the day after the 4^th of July or any time of year.

Tell us what you think!

Learn More

Shelter Animals Count July 5 graphic
Research: Retention of ID for Dogs & Cats