Cape Town - The now famous dog Rio, who sought help from the Cape of Good Hope SPCA by himself, highlights the importance of getting your furry friends microchipped.
The new SPCA celebrity Rio grabbed headlines from international websites earlier this month for his intuitive skills as he sought help at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA by himself after sustaining bite wounds to his neck.
The mixed-breed dog has since made a full recovery and has joined the adoption ward since nobody has claimed the clever canine.
“Rio, who is without a doubt, destined to become the next SPCA celebrity, has passed his clinical and behaviour assessments and will be joining the elite in the adoptions ward waiting on his forever home,” the Cape of Good Hope SPCA said at the time.
Rio’s story has since appeared on IOL, in a segment on the morning show Expresso, as well as US Newsweek and Yahoo!
Rio is further said to make his Facebook Live debut later this week via the Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s page.
However, the importance of Rio’s story is rather directed to owners of beloved pets than the canine's intuitive thinking.
The message is straightforward according to the SPCA, get your pets microchipped.
90% of lost and found pets at the SPCA’s pound have no form of identification making it incredibly hard to reunite the beloved fur babies with their families.
The Cape SPCA processes over 100 missing pet reports per month, translating to over 1 200 per year.
The animal welfare organisation is urging pet owners to have their companions microchipped at a reduced rate during February’s #DontLoseYourLove campaign, with proceeds going to support the pound in reuniting lost pets with their owners.
Since the campaign began on Saturday, February 5, more than 30 pets were successfully microchipped ensuring if they are ever lost, there is a greater chance of being reunited.
Every private vet or animal welfare organisation has the ability to scan microchips, and all lost pets are more than likely taken to the nearest vet or welfare organisation where they're found.
IOL