To help with a quick reunion with your pet we advise microchipping. This involves the injection of a small chip which holds an unique number. The number is registered nationally on a secure database and can be read by a scanner held at most animal organisations.

The organisation, such as a veterinary practice, phones a national register where the microchip number is matched with the owner details and they can therefore be contacted quickly.

If you would like your pet microchipped, please phone the surgery where an appointment can be arranged for you.

STEPS TO TAKE IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR PET

1. Contact all veterinary surgeries. If someone finds a pet they will often take it to their usual practice or the nearest practice. We can also give you other useful phone numbers.
2. Ask neighbours to check their sheds and garages.
3. Put posters up in local newsagents. Do not put them on telegraph poles etc. as the council will remove them.
4. If you have lost your dog, phone the local dog warden 023 8028 5131 Mon - Fri 9am-5pm, or Lost Paws 0870 609 1449 Mon to Fri 5pm - 1am, Sat and Sun 9am - 1am.The police will no longer deal with stray dogs.
5. You can phone the local council as they will sometimes remove deceased animals from the side of the road.

"Hello is that the vets?
I've found a cat"

There is always mixed reactions to this type of telephone call. Sadness that yet another cat may be added to many homeless that already exist (those that the staff cannot take home!) and also hope, that if they bring the cat in to us we may find that it is microchipped. However, in this case, which is still unfortunately in the minority, when we scanned the back of the neck of this handsome ginger and white cat, we did indeed read a chip! After that is was just a matter of ringing the microchip helpline, telling them the unique microchip number and being given the name and address of the owner. Upon ringing the owner it transpired that this cat, called Tiverton, had actually been missing from Andover for 7 weeks and 2 days. Tiverton's owners were here within a couple of hours, and as you can imagine, were overjoyed at being reunited with their beloved cat, whom they thought they would never see again. This is a wonderful story and we hope it shows the value of a small and inexpensive microchip. Please don't think twice about having your dog or cat microchipped - it could be the difference between seeing your wandering pet again or not.

Many thanks to Mr Matthews of Minstead, the very kind client who found and cared for Tiverton and got in touch with us.