In the frenzy of severe weather the South Plains experienced last weekend, some household pets got lost and misplaced.
Dr. Paul Stonum at Lubbock’s Animal Emergency Clinic said that when pets are cooped up inside during heavy rainfall, snow, and ice, they are more likely to run off when they do get to go outside.
“I would say during bad weather, we see more house pets. I think strays find places to go and hide, because they’re a little bit smarter about the weather than your pet or mine.”
Stonum said that if your pet is returned to a clinic, the first thing he’ll do is scan the animal for a microchip.
“Microchipping is a simple procedure that we can do, and most clinics do it. It allows us to tell whether the pet is owned by someone locally or whoever, and then we can help find its home.”
If you still haven’t found your animal, the “Lost and Found Pets of Lubbock” Facebook page is another good place to look.
“There’s a lot of folks that work that social media and try to help owners find their pets, and help pets find back their owners,” Stonum said.
If all else fails, it never hurts to call the Emergency Clinic.
“It’s always fun to see…the pets are always happy [when they’re reunited with their owner], but the owners tend to be even happier,” Stonum said, “Obviously they can’t talk to us, but you can tell from the look in their eye that they’re just excited to be back with their owners.”