We’re gonna make an assumption here: you probably know that licensing your pet is a huge step to getting them home safely. And since you probably understand the importance of that tag on your pet’s collar, you also know that pet licences are required by law.
Here’s what you also probably know: there are more animals in your community that need help that you aren’t, as one person, able to give.
That’s the amazing thing about your pet licence: it doesn’t just serve you; it serves your whole community.
Here’s how.
It begins with a (simple) action…
Let’s talk chaos theory, because why not? The butterfly effect is, and we quote, “the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.” Or: one small action can have a major impact.
First, no, you don’t need to license your butterfly. Just let that beauty soar. Second, what does this have to do with your pet?
Licensing your pet is a small change for you. But it ends up impacting animals – and people – you will never meet. And to whom you will be an unknown and unsung hero.
Pet Licensing: A Small Step with a Big Impact
License your pet, save an animal in need? The butterfly flaps its wings…
Amazingly, that’s kinda how it works. Licence fees are vital to your community; they contribute significantly to the pool of resources that fund animal welfare services, like shelters. Shelters provide housing, veterinary care, and comfort to the most vulnerable animals in our communities. They also take in pets with loving homes who get lost – and play a big role in reuniting them with their families.
Your licence fee, which varies depending on where you live and your pet’s status, is often less than other major pet expenses and goes right back into your own community, helping shelters help those most in need.
And because there are always more needs than dollars, shelters stretch their funding so they can:
- Respond to and take action on complaints of abuse or neglect
- Respond to noise complaints and conduct investigations
- Provide education to the public about coexisting – safely – with wildlife, caring for pets, and many other topics
- Offer low-cost or free vaccinations and medical services
- Partner with other agencies to provide creative community support
- Rescue animals that have been abandoned or neglected
- Assist wildlife in need of emergency veterinary care**
**Did you know that shelters in Canada take in and/or assist over 11,000 different species? What?! It’s not just dogs and cats. It’s horses, pigs, birds, snakes, and lizards, to name a few (no butterflies, in case you were wondering). Your local animal lovers want each and every one to have the best chance at a healthy, safe life.
Peace of Mind Is Priceless… Or At Least, Affordable
Licence fee amounts vary by community but are generally very reasonable. The funds provided by licence fees may help a stray cat find sanctuary at a shelter and, ideally, a wonderful new home. It may help a deer hit by a car receive vet care that saves her and helps maintain healthy numbers. It may help a small town fund spay/neuter programs to curb overpopulation. It may help officials protect dogs who are being abused and living in terrible conditions. It may help a loving person/family find their furrever friend.
And it will help you get your pet back sooner if they become lost. They won’t end up in a shelter, taking space, time, and resources from an animal that needs it much more. When your pet is licensed and has a DocuPet tag equipped with the free HomeSafe™ lost pet service, their odds of doing just that – getting home safe – are dramatically improved.
Flap Your Wings
You love your community and want to make it a better place for everyone – people and animals alike. Good. We do too.
- License Your Pet. Already took this simple step? Pat yourself on the back, friend. Haven’t done this yet? This is an easy opportunity to make a real difference. Seriously. If it were any easier… your pet would just do it for you.
- Reach Out. Looking for other ways to help your community? Connect with your local animal shelter and ask about volunteering. Walk a pup, mop a floor, set up supplies, cuddle a cat… Not a bad way to spend a few spare hours.
- Give. Skip the daily latte and make a donation to your local shelter. A quick internet search should do the trick (but you already knew that).
- Glam. Your pet is licensed; strut that stuff with a cool ID for their collar. When you buy a DocuPet designer tag, 20% of the proceeds are donated to the Safe&Happy Fund, which provides even more funding to local shelters. You also have the option to make an additional donation to the may also donate to DocuPet’s Safe&Happy fund at checkout.
Here’s something else we hope you probably know: at DocuPet, we do love animals. When we saw how underfunded so many critical services are, we saw the opportunity to be part of the solution. We’re getting the word out about the power of licensing and partnering with communities to make the process as easy and fast as possible.
We hope you’ll make a small step of your own as well. License your pet. Please. You know it’ll benefit your buddy – you may not realize just how many other animals it will help.
