If you have a pet who needs ID, we hope you’ll celebrate “Every Day is Tag Day” with The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County on Saturday, April 3rd. This is a national campaign created by The American Humane Association to encourage people to get ID tags and microchips for their pets.
To make it easy for Indian River County pet owners, we’ll be distributing FREE pet ID tags at two places this Saturday, April 3rd, but please leave your pets at home!! Those locations and times are:
Big Lots – on 44th Ave and Rt. 60., Vero Beach – We’ll be at the Big Lots from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
East Coast Animal Medical Center, 6580 69th St., Vero Beach – We’ll be at the grand opening of the ECAMC from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and you’re invited, too!
Of course, The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County offers free pet ID tags every day of the week. Just stroll right up to our Adoption Building’s reception desk and our staff will be happy to help you. Our address is 6230 77th St. in Vero Beach.
Here are a few other things we’d like to tell you:
1. Our tags are pre-engraved with a unique ID number for your pet and our 24-hour paging service number. Our staff is on call 365 days a year and will call you immediately if someone tells us they’ve found your pet.
2. It’s ok if you’re a snowbird. Even if you are a part-time resident of Indian River County we encourage you to get our ID tags. We’ve had calls from as far as Canada, New Jersey and Wisconsin and have always been able to help.
3. We’ll need some information from you. Your name, address and as many phone numbers as you can provide. We’re not trying to be nosey but phone numbers for your veterinarian, a neighbor or relative can also help if we are unable to contact you at your primary phone number.
4. Tags only work if your pets are wearing them and your information is up-to-date. Once you get your pet a tag put it on your pet! Please call us to update your record if any of your contact information changes.
5. Your pet should have a tag even if he or she has a microchip. Some people don’t understand micro-chipping and don’t know that they need to take an animal to a shelter to be scanned. Collars and tags are the most visible form of pet identification around.
6. Your pet should have a microchip even if he or she has a tag. Micro-chipping is a permanent form of identification that goes hand-in-hand with a tag. When pets are both micro-chipped and tagged the return-to-owner rate skyrockets.
Why wouldn’t you want to do everything possible to have your pet safely returned? Microchips only cost about $30 and can be implanted by most any veterinarian in a matter of seconds. Once your pet has been micro-chipped please call our shelter so that we can add it to your pet’s record.
If you have any questions about our tags, our upcoming events or micro-chipping, just call the shelter at (772) 388-3331 ext. 18 or 28.
Happy “Every Day is Tag Day” to you and your pets!
Janet WinikoffDirector of Education, The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River Co.6230 77th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32967