"You know you're a dog lover when..."

Hi Friends,

Our Walker Vaughan here.

"You know you're a dog lover when...
... you carry a picture of your dog around in your wallet".

I pulled this quote off a witty little list of over the top dog-lover behaviors, mostly because I don't think it belongs there.  I do of course understand the premise, everyone is sharing pictures of their children and you pull out your pup's autographed head shot.  Hilarious.

But what if your pup takes off on you at the park and is found by someone else?  How do you prove she's your dog?  Granted if your phone number or address are printed on the collar that should be good enough for most people.  But what if the pup has slipped her collar?  What if the person who found her doesn't believe you?  What if you are watching yourself become a victim of dogknapping?  There is no guarantee that the person who finds your dog will be honest and want to give the dog back to you.  According to law, dogs are property, and as such could end up in the realm of "I don't see your name on it" and "finders keepers".  At that point you will need to call in law enforcement, and those guys operate based on PROOF!

I have found that the best method of protection in the above situations (outside of microchipping) is to carry pictures of you and your dog together in your wallet.  The pictures should be current, and show the dogs current haircut (some dogs look completely different after grooming).  This is especially important for dog walkers, who by law are not the owners of the property in question (their dogs) and don't possess any ownership documents.  So please, take some time, get off your cell phone and start documenting your walking life!


-- V.W.