Gina over on Pet Connection reminds us that the new year is time to check our dog's collars and be sure they are still in good repair and well fitting. Also be sure that your dog has tags that reflect phone numbers where people can get a hold of you. My dogs have my home and cell info. Let's face it, if our dog was lost, chances are we are out looking for them.
Those of you who have taken a training classes with me, will recognize this as the # 5 lecture from your first night handout and already know that dogs without tags make me crazy. Microchips are great, but they won't get your dog home on a Saturday night.

There have been quite a few times that we have had stray dogs in rescue that have been so very nice and so clearly loved that I have spent hours and hours scouring on line lost dog alerts, Craig's list and various web sites and leads, trying to reunite them with their humans. Not once was I successfully.

My kids and I seem to be magnets for wandering dogs and we have had many a dog both with and without tags, hang out at our house while we try to find the owners. Take a wild guess which one is easier?
I also have extra tags here for visiting dogs that just say reward with phone numbers. I use these for my families' dogs, foster dogs, and friend's dogs who stay over. It won't do much good for people to call the phone number on Sadie's tag number when her humans are in Argentina playing polo now will it?

We can all thank my Dad for the next tip. Change your smoke detector batteries every New Year.