Pets of the week

Anna is a border collie mix. She's 3 months old, and she hopes that her next people love her and keep her forever. Anna is very intelligent, and she'll be exceptionally easy to train. She's extremely alert and attentive, and she can entertain herself by chasing shadows and bugs, but she prefers to play with toys. Anna's adoption fee during October is only $85.

Mystery is a 2-year-old gray tabby who came to our shelter as new mom with five tiny babies. She spent some time in a foster home, and now she's ready to find her own forever family. She's calm and gentle, and you can adopt her for $65.

Our shelter received more than 5,100 cats and kittens last year, and only 215 of them were ever returned to their owners. More than 75 percent of them were euthanized. The majority of these cats are wonderful, friendly animals who clearly belonged to people but either strayed too far from home or were trapped by neighbors who don't like trespassing pets. Either way, they end up in the shelter, occasionally with collars but rarely with ID tags or microchips.

Cat owners tend to wait too long to begin looking for their missing pets, visiting the shelter only after the pet has been lost for a week or more. By this time the cat has possibly been adopted, but, sadly, it's more likely to have been put to sleep. Help prevent this heartbreaking reality by taking a moment to ensure your cats have some form of current identification. Help spread the word when friends or neighbors lose their cats that they need to start checking the shelters within the first three days. And please stop by to visit adorable Anna and magnificent Mystery at Salt Lake County Animal Services, 511 W. 3900 South, or call 269-7499. And view available pets virtually at www.slcoanimalservices.org.