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| Vanessa Williams, star of the television show “Ugly Betty,” encourages dog and cat owners to make sure their pets are equipped with proper identification. |
More than 10 million cats and dogs become lost each year in America, with summer months contributing to that number. Outdoor activities and holiday events can lead to pets escaping from yards or running away. Without proper identification, many of these lost pets are not reunited with their owners.
Vanessa Williams, star of the television show “Ugly Betty,” encourages dog and cat owners to make sure their pets are equipped with proper identification, such as a microchip implant. Earlier this year, Williams was reunited with her Yorkshire terrier, Enzo, because the dog was implanted with an identification microchip.
“When Enzo was lost it was incredibly stressful, and I learned during my own experience that unfortunately 95 percent of the 135 million cats and dogs in the United States are not protected with this simple, inexpensive technology that saves pets’ lives,” Williams said. “When I received the phone call saying Enzo had been found, I was over the moon.”
Williams and Eric Linnetz, DVM, the veterinarian at the animal hospital that found Williams’ dog, remind pet owners to make sure the pets also are enrolled in an identification database. “There’s no better time than the present to do the most you can to ensure your pet’s safety in the event that he or she gets lost,” Dr. Linnetz said.