Identify with Getting Tags - at the Very Least!

Jodi Helmer points out in her book, "The Green Year" that when a pet is lost, it takes a lot of resources to look for it. You drive around endlessly looking, using gas and putting carbon into the environment. You have fliers printed and posted everywhere. Losing a pet isn't just hard on the environment, it's very hard on you mentally as well. In 1994, we left for a weekend away and one of my dear little Maltese, Ana, got spooked by some fireworks and bolted from a relative who was caring for her. We never saw her again.
I looked for her for 6 months before my husband said it was finally time to give up the search. To this day, I sometimes think about Ana and hope that whatever happened to her, it wasn't awful.
Helmer suggests making sure all of your pets are wearing tags. Even better, go the distance and have your dog and/or kitties microchipped. This technology is growing and now most shelters scan for chips when lost pets are found. If you do this, as with putting tags on them, make sure to keep the info current if you move. A dog in Australia was recently found 2,000 miles from its' owners after 8 years - thanks to a microchip!
So, be nice to the environment -as well as to your pet and yourself - by keeping track of them!