Dog Blog: Your pet can’t speak for itself

People think that Heisler Park and associated areas are designated as a bird sanctuary. I beg to differ “” it is a dog sanctuary. There are far more dogs than birds in the park.

When I walk my dog, Spot, I meet many friendly people walking their dogs and many (actually every person I meet) will ask, “What kind of dog is that?” (Dog people are like that.) My response is he is a PitChaWinnie (pit bull, Chihuahua and dachshund). God knows what momma dog was up to.

We name our dogs for a variety of reasons. But naming your dog Spot when he has no spots on his body raises some questions. My dog’s name is Spot even though he is brindle in coloring.

We thought about naming him Stripes; however, we have an ongoing discussion about animal stripes in our household. The name Zebra did come up, but we could not determine whether zebras are white with black stripes or black with white stripes.

We decided that Spot was the best fit because he has a spot on the couch, a spot on the kitchen floor, a spot on my bed “” a spot most everywhere in the house. These are the spots to nap, and napping is very important for dogs and cats. So I guess it doesn’t matter where your spots are to inherit your name.

He is also a TV buff. He watches Channel 7 and knows that when Regis and Kelly come on at 9 a.m. it is time to walk, and he runs to his leash, whines and is ready to go.

Here in Laguna, we have three “dog cops,” the three Animal Services officers who care for all animals, domestic and wild. They will cut you no slack when it comes to your care of your animal.

One of these Animal Services officers, or ASOs, is Joy Falk. She rescues our pooches and kitties “” anything with four legs and some with fins or wings.

She is one of three full-time Animal Services officers working for Laguna Beach. These officers also serve Laguna Woods which keeps them very busy!

When asked what is the most important thing for pet owners to know, Falk answered: “Probably the first and foremost is to have good identification on your pet.

“Although dogs and cats can, and should, wear collars with identification tags on at all times, they often slip off just when the pet needs them the most, when they become lost. A microchip implant is the best way to ensure that the identification stays with the pet.

This chip can tell animal shelters, animal services officers, veterinarians, and others that this pet has a home to be returned to if the pet becomes lost. These chips are also a way to, finally, identify birds, reptiles, rabbits and other animals that cannot wear collars.”

Animal shelters across the country are full of animals found running loose with no identification or way to return them to their owners. Pet theft does occur, and in a few cases theft has been discovered due to a microchip.

Animal shelters are also full of pets on “lost lists” where the pets are listed as “”¦no collar or ID, due to recent bath, due to being inside the house when it escaped out of an open door, due to the fact that the owners doesn’t like collars” or a million other reasons.

Your pet can not speak for itself. Speak for him and let others know he or she has a loving home with people who want him returned by having your pet wear a collar with an ID tag, and seriously consider microchip implants as extra insurance for your pet’s welfare.

PEGI LOPEZ lives in Laguna Beach.