Photographing Your Pet for ID Purposes

While it's nice to have lots of fun photos of our pets. It is important to take several clear color photos of your pet taken specifically for ID purposes. Taking photographs of your pet is one of the most important preventive steps a pet owner can take to prepare ahead in case there pet is ever lost. Most people who have pets consider them part of the family and therefore have photographs of them in their family album. While these may be helpful, too often they aren’t very clear, or were taken from a distance, or are outdated. Whether you do it yourself or have them done professionally, you need to have quality pictures taken. They will be crucial in a variety of recovery situations and are an important part of your pet records.

When it comes to recovering a lost pet, a picture truly does say a thousand words. Photographs will be useful, even critical, in a variety of situations.

A Picture Says A Thousand Words

1. Current photographs are indispensable for making flyers. An ideal flyer should include two photographs, one face shot and one full-body profile shot. We have a great Lost Pet Flyer Generator on our web site.

2. Photos can be scanned and then uploaded and posted on-line at any of the numerous missing pet web sites.

3. Photos can be critical to rescue workers in the aftermath of a disaster.

4. If you ever have to go to court (people do steal pets), photographs are one more way of proving ownership.

5. Photos can be shown to shelter personnel to prove ownership and reclaim your pet. Shelter workers see dozens, even hundreds of pets a week; a photograph can make a real difference here.

6. Photos will be indispensable if you lose your pet while traveling or vacationing.

7. Photographs help you to recall important details about your pet that, in its absence; you may not be able to recall as clearly as you think.

Take the Memory Test

Do you think you can accurately describe the pet with whom you share your home and life? You’d be surprised.

As a family project, have everyone get a sheet of paper and a pencil. Put your pet in another room. Then have each person write a description of your pet from memory. Try to recall every detail, unique markings, eye color, hair length and texture, tail length and type, etc. You’ll be amazed at how much each person’s description differs from the others, and what details each person has left out. This fun family project will clearly demonstrate the need for accurate written and photographic records of your pet.


Please always keep current photos of your pet -- Just in case

Thanks

Joseph Andrew Sapia
The Complete Guide to Lost Pet Prevention & Recovery

Thank you for all the great threads that you have posted...they are all full of very valuable and informative info....Great ideas....Thank you for putting them all here....:)

Thank you for your kind words

Andrew

This was all very interesting, thank you.

Thank you for your great post, it is a reminder to us all and is very helpful and will remind us about things we wouldnt normally think about.:)

Wow, great looking dogs. They are very beautiful. Looks like Angus, Roxy, and Huney are all very well cared for. Angus looks so regal, what a handsome dog.

I also visted Sam's Paradise He is so adorable. I've never had a Gerbil, but they seem like they would be a lot of fun. I have a rat named Clyde. He is the sweetest thing in the world. I adopted him last may at our local SPCA; he brings so much joy to our lives. Peanut butter is his weakness. It's like cryptonite is to Superman.

Anyway thanks for the kind words

Andrew

PS I hope to have some photos of Clyde and the other family pets scanned soon.

Thanks petavenger:) They are all very well cared for (as much as I can afford anyway!)
I don't know if you have ever heard of "kidprint". I used to work at a Blockbuster Video & we used to do it. Just a smalll video tape of a child (in our case, dog) stating where they lived and such. That way if anything ever happened, we would have a actual video of what they looked like.
Also we carry pictures of the dogs in our vehicles, along with an emergency contacts paper in case we were ever in an accident & weren't able to take care of them. They're our children they should be taken care of like they are:)

Great. I only wish all pet owners were so thoughful as yourself. We have an entire chapter on accidents in the book and advise people to do exactly what you are doing.

Andrew
Safety Always

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/...e.jpg.orig.jpg

Thanks for those thoughtful words, but I don't think that really applies to us, at least not yet! We have to many pics of our two girls and the majority of them are up close and personal so they turn our really good! Plus, we take pic's of them a good amount of the time (practially every day) so we've got very recent pics! Actually, when Brian just took the three rolls we just got developed into work the other night while he was on duty, somebody told him that we need to have kids because we had way too many pics of our girls! I don't see anything wrong with it, but I guess it's weird to some people!

Thank you for your kind words about Sam! I would love to see pictures of Clyde! I bet he is just adorable!
PS-Sam is crazy for peanuts also!:p :D

Ooooohhhh you don't have to worry about me having current pictures! lol lol. I take TONS of pics, ALL the time. Most of them turn out pretty well. That's helpful info though, and I should start keeping photos of them in the car, or somewhere handy..that's a good idea.

Thank you for all the advice on keeping pets safe you've posted, Andrew! I have a pic of the girls in my wallet, but cincy is just a baby in it...i need to add a more recent one. I keep a copy of the vet records at home and work, but in the car is a good idea too Anna, esp. since we travel with them a lot!

What beautiful dogs. Yes, it's a good idea to update photos as your dog grows. I like to travel a bit myself. We have an entire travel section in The Complete Guide to Lost Pet Prevention & Recovery It's important to bring along copies of your pet records and current photos. If your pet gets lost a thousand miles from home, you will eventually be forced to return with or without your pet. If you have photos with you, you can get make flyers and distribute them in and around the area where your pet was lost. You can leave them with shelters, vets, maybe contact some rescue group members in the area who might be willing to assist if you are forced to return home before your pet is found. In a situation like this photos are indespensable.


Andrew