Maureen Martel, an animal health technician at the Grande Prairie Animal Hospital, regularly sees stray dogs with no identification. Just last week, she picked up a friendly yellow Labrador retriever near the Prairie Mall. It ran out in the street as she was driving and when Martel stopped for the animal, it jumped in the car with her. That's when she noticed all the other dogs running at large.
Identification is especially important if an animal's been injured.
If an owner can't be determined, there's often no choice but to euthanise the animal, said Martel. The SPCA continues to house its regular 60 or more cats and dogs - and most have no identification, said executive director Doug Kazulak. A lot of people don't even think to call the SPCA if their animal goes missing, he added. About 40 per cent of dogs are reclaimed while a mere eight per cent of cats are retrieved. An animal is kept for about 26 days before it is euthanised.