Did you know that during the pandemic, many groups that help find lost dogs and other pets have been unable to operate? This is a really sad side effect that we’ve seen due to the pandemic that no one is talking about.

Sadly, around 10 million pets will go missing every year in the US. These include pets that are both lost or stolen, and pet theft is a huge problem across the globe, too.

Keeping your pets safe is not only important for them, but it’s important for other people, too. Loose pets on the roads cause accidents, and pets that are scared can become aggressive, leading to problems with biting and attacking people and other dogs.

What Can You Do?

You need to make sure you take your pet’s security seriously, especially in these uncertain times. While there are many groups that will help you look for your pet using ground searchers, trappers, drones, and even thermal imaging cameras, prevention is always better than a cure.

Here are five ways you can keep your pet safe during these worrying times.

Invest in an invisible fence

Invisible fences work by teaching your pet the boundaries of your property with a little training and a special collar. This handy best invisible dog fence article explains exactly how invisible fences work and how the training associated with them is effective at keeping your dog (or cat!) where you want them.

Keep your dog on a leash

This one is really simple. Right now, there are fewer people able to help search for your missing dog, so it makes sense to keep your dog on a leash wherever possible. Many people use the excuse my dog doesn’t like being on a leash, but your dog would like being lost a lot less. If you’re really worried about them not having freedom, invest in long line leash – some go up to around 30m!

Improve recall training

Having a really long leash means you can safely practice your recall training! Dogs need good recall for many reasons, and accidents like letting the dog out of the house do happen. If your dog has good recall, you’ll know that he will come back on command and you’ll feel a lot less anxious.

GPS Tags

There are some brilliant GPS tags out there for dogs now, and many work world-wide too. While a GPS tag won’t stop your pet from getting lost or from leaving your yard, it will alert you to them leaving (another style of invisible fence called a geo-fence), and it will give you a pinpoint location to find them. Be warned though: some GPS trackers are “GPRS” or Bluetooth dependent, and these don’t work very well at all.

Don’t advertise your pet

If you have a popular breed of pet, like a pug, do NOT advertise them. By this we mean don’t post about them on social media with any identifiable location details, as this is almost asking for them to be stolen.