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by ilovemypoodlefluffy on 28 September 2013 - 14:09
i should really change my name again. i don't have fluffy anymore. i currently have 3 gsd's and 3 chi's.
i gave fluffy to my ex after we separated a couple years ago and she has been missing since august of 2012.
his key broke in the lock as he was leaving his apartment and he just left with the door shut and the key broken off in the lock still.
he came back later that day and the door was wide open, with fluffy gone.
she was wearing her rabies tag and another name tag but it's as if she virtually disappeared.
i had her microchipped but have received no phone call or e-mail saying she was found and i was listed as a secondary contact.
my question is this: is it worthwhile to continue microchipping my dogs or is it a waste of time?
i appreciate all your opinions.
thanks
i gave fluffy to my ex after we separated a couple years ago and she has been missing since august of 2012.
his key broke in the lock as he was leaving his apartment and he just left with the door shut and the key broken off in the lock still.
he came back later that day and the door was wide open, with fluffy gone.
she was wearing her rabies tag and another name tag but it's as if she virtually disappeared.
i had her microchipped but have received no phone call or e-mail saying she was found and i was listed as a secondary contact.
my question is this: is it worthwhile to continue microchipping my dogs or is it a waste of time?
i appreciate all your opinions.
thanks
by rtdmmcintyre on 28 September 2013 - 15:09
A micro chip is no guarantee that a dog will be returned. Just as your name on a collar isn't a guarantee. It is just a permanent means of identification. That identification only does any good if it is ever scanned and the person checks the number. It does increase their odds of one day coming home. With me every bit that increases the chance of them coming home is worth it.
Reggie
Reggie
by Kaffirdog on 28 September 2013 - 15:09
Did you inform the chip registry she is missing? She may have been in a pound or rescue and been rehomed, if the chip was found after that, she could have been registered to a new owner. If not done already, if the registry have her chip flagged as lost/stolen, they should notify you if anyone tries to register her in their name.
Margaret N-J
Margaret N-J
by dragonfry on 28 September 2013 - 18:09
I still think the chip is worth the cost.
When i worked for a vet about once a week some good Samaritan would come in with a found dog.
We always scanned for a chip. And 1 in about 10 was chipped. That 1 dog would then get an exhaustive attempt to locate the owner.
Unfortunately a few times we found dogs that were either unwanted by the chip owner, or had moved away and no current address or number could be located.
We also had an instance where a lady who worked with the local humane society showed up with a little pom she found running in the street. She had us put it in ISO and wanted vaccines and such done because in her words. "It was an abandoned stray" Well one of the techs had the sense to scan the little pom and she had a chip. So we called the owner who was fanatically searching for her dog. She arrived in tears with kids in tow. The lawn man had left the side gate open and her little dog just walked out. So she took her dog home and thanked us for finding it. But the kicker is the lady who brought the dog in, was A) mad we gave it back (It was not her dogs and it was really lost by someone that loved it)
B) Mad that we made her pay for the shots she had requested! (The dog was actually current on all vaccines, so we accidently over vaccinated it)
All my own dogs are chipped, wear a tag that says REWARD with both my and my vet's phone number. And some of my dogs have been tattooed with my whole street address. because i wanted that crazy bitch back.
The drawback to the chip is you can not see it and therefor some people don't ever think to have it checked for.
When i worked for a vet about once a week some good Samaritan would come in with a found dog.
We always scanned for a chip. And 1 in about 10 was chipped. That 1 dog would then get an exhaustive attempt to locate the owner.
Unfortunately a few times we found dogs that were either unwanted by the chip owner, or had moved away and no current address or number could be located.
We also had an instance where a lady who worked with the local humane society showed up with a little pom she found running in the street. She had us put it in ISO and wanted vaccines and such done because in her words. "It was an abandoned stray" Well one of the techs had the sense to scan the little pom and she had a chip. So we called the owner who was fanatically searching for her dog. She arrived in tears with kids in tow. The lawn man had left the side gate open and her little dog just walked out. So she took her dog home and thanked us for finding it. But the kicker is the lady who brought the dog in, was A) mad we gave it back (It was not her dogs and it was really lost by someone that loved it)
B) Mad that we made her pay for the shots she had requested! (The dog was actually current on all vaccines, so we accidently over vaccinated it)
All my own dogs are chipped, wear a tag that says REWARD with both my and my vet's phone number. And some of my dogs have been tattooed with my whole street address. because i wanted that crazy bitch back.
The drawback to the chip is you can not see it and therefor some people don't ever think to have it checked for.
by Hundmutter on 28 September 2013 - 19:09
Always preferred a Tattoo number myself, you don't
need special equipment to read it. When 'chips first
appeared on the scene, they were so unreliable for
moving around that I always used to say if I wanted
shrapnel inside my dog, I'd move to a war zone !
I think they are better these days.
In the UK looks like we won't have the choice soon -
in a couple of years ALL dogs are going to have to be
chipped.
I think anything that makes your dog identifiable is always
worth having; they may not always look for it / discover it
if the dog is found, stolen or strayed - but if your dog does
not have anything in the first place, chances of being relocated
with you go from slight to almost zero.
need special equipment to read it. When 'chips first
appeared on the scene, they were so unreliable for
moving around that I always used to say if I wanted
shrapnel inside my dog, I'd move to a war zone !
I think they are better these days.
In the UK looks like we won't have the choice soon -
in a couple of years ALL dogs are going to have to be
chipped.
I think anything that makes your dog identifiable is always
worth having; they may not always look for it / discover it
if the dog is found, stolen or strayed - but if your dog does
not have anything in the first place, chances of being relocated
with you go from slight to almost zero.
by asomich on 30 September 2013 - 14:09
Yes and use the brand of chip that is most commonly used by your local animal control and rescue organization. And collar id's are good for regular folks too so they do not have to take the dog to be scanned for a chip. My local sheriff department is very friendly and if an officer finds a loose dog in my neighborhood they will call the number on the collar.
As for tatoos, most folks aren't going to think to look for one or they may not examine the dog that closely to discover it. If the dog is afraid and runs or becomes aggressive, then a collar with a visible number or tag works best. Folks can see that there is a visible id from afar.
Microchips and tatoos are great for ownership disputes.
An id does not guarantee that your dog will be returned to you by unethical people. They can keep the dog away from the public, remove chips, and change/remove tatoos.
I would continue chipping and putting tags on collars.
If Fluffy is a cute poodle and a small house dog then unethical people are more inclined to want to keep her for themselves.
Good Luck!
As for tatoos, most folks aren't going to think to look for one or they may not examine the dog that closely to discover it. If the dog is afraid and runs or becomes aggressive, then a collar with a visible number or tag works best. Folks can see that there is a visible id from afar.
Microchips and tatoos are great for ownership disputes.
An id does not guarantee that your dog will be returned to you by unethical people. They can keep the dog away from the public, remove chips, and change/remove tatoos.
I would continue chipping and putting tags on collars.
If Fluffy is a cute poodle and a small house dog then unethical people are more inclined to want to keep her for themselves.
Good Luck!
by Keith Grossman on 30 September 2013 - 14:09
I chip all of my dogs. Tattoos are ok as a means of permanent ID for shows, trial, breed surveys, x-rays, etc. but are meaningless to the public even if they knew to look for one and it was legible. Collar ID's are impractical to me because he doesn't wear one in a kennel or crate and collar changes are varied and frequent when he's not depending on what we're doing.
by Hundmutter on 30 September 2013 - 17:09
In the UK tattoos have a much better record than they do in the States.
National Dog Tattoo Register very regularly re-unites 'lost' dogs with
their owners. Often within only hours of them going missing. Visually
ear number tattoos are not all that difficult to see on erect eared dogs,
like GSDs, even from some feet away. You can see something is there, even
when you need to look more closely to read the numbers. Efforts have been
made to increasingly educate Police, Veterinarians, Animal Wardens, Shelters
etc as to the need to look in the ear for a tattoo number, and they are definitely
getting better at remembering to do so. These are the people to whom the
public turn if they find a dog and want to return it, so it matters less that the
average person does not know the NDTR phone number, the people listed
above DO. NDTR provides 24/7 service. Plus, there are the advantages Keith
mentions for ID purposes for Xrays, breeding, travel, etc.
Perhaps those few folk in the US already involved in tattooing should try to
increase their funding and publicity to roll it out as more of an option ? One of
the reasons I prefer it is that it is a quite inexpensive and permanent ID to maintain
on the dog for the course of its lifetime, you just need to update the address if you
move or buy/sell the dog. And unlike the microchips, which still CAN move around
in the dog, even though the new ones are better; and which have been known to be
dug out, though it is sometimes raised that tattoos can be removed or altered
this only very rarely happens - and it is always obvious if it has been interfered with.
(Even if they cut off the dog's ear flap, you can't get rid of all the numbers if its been
done properly, and dogs with an ear cut off tend to raise suspicion in themselves -
this does not look like ear-cropping in those breeds where that is done !). Of course,
those who make and sell 'chips don't want this info to be more widely known ...
National Dog Tattoo Register very regularly re-unites 'lost' dogs with
their owners. Often within only hours of them going missing. Visually
ear number tattoos are not all that difficult to see on erect eared dogs,
like GSDs, even from some feet away. You can see something is there, even
when you need to look more closely to read the numbers. Efforts have been
made to increasingly educate Police, Veterinarians, Animal Wardens, Shelters
etc as to the need to look in the ear for a tattoo number, and they are definitely
getting better at remembering to do so. These are the people to whom the
public turn if they find a dog and want to return it, so it matters less that the
average person does not know the NDTR phone number, the people listed
above DO. NDTR provides 24/7 service. Plus, there are the advantages Keith
mentions for ID purposes for Xrays, breeding, travel, etc.
Perhaps those few folk in the US already involved in tattooing should try to
increase their funding and publicity to roll it out as more of an option ? One of
the reasons I prefer it is that it is a quite inexpensive and permanent ID to maintain
on the dog for the course of its lifetime, you just need to update the address if you
move or buy/sell the dog. And unlike the microchips, which still CAN move around
in the dog, even though the new ones are better; and which have been known to be
dug out, though it is sometimes raised that tattoos can be removed or altered
this only very rarely happens - and it is always obvious if it has been interfered with.
(Even if they cut off the dog's ear flap, you can't get rid of all the numbers if its been
done properly, and dogs with an ear cut off tend to raise suspicion in themselves -
this does not look like ear-cropping in those breeds where that is done !). Of course,
those who make and sell 'chips don't want this info to be more widely known ...
by VKGSDs on 02 October 2013 - 14:10
Since my locale regularly offers microchipping clinics for $10, I'd say it's absolutely worthwhile. Whether a chip or tat is preferred makes zero difference! It's not like you can't chip a dog that has a tattoo, lol. All my dogs have BOTH, even my latest rescue dog has a spay tattoo and a microchip.
by SitasMom on 03 October 2013 - 16:10
Over the years, I have found several dogs, I always go straight to my vet and check for microchips.
The only dog that I was able to return to owner after only 24 hours of it being missing had a microchip that was registered.
3 others had microchips that were unregistered and unless, with 2 of these I was able to find their owners by posting photos at vets within 15 miles and also at all the local pounds and shelters. The other I adopted out.
4 had collars with rabies tags, 3 of which were returned to their homes quickly, 1 the owner's didn't want back and was adopted out.
2 had collars without tags, all were adopted out.
2 had no collars or or microchips, 1 was returned to owner, other was pts as it was horribly old and had a traumatic brain injury.
The only dog that I was able to return to owner after only 24 hours of it being missing had a microchip that was registered.
3 others had microchips that were unregistered and unless, with 2 of these I was able to find their owners by posting photos at vets within 15 miles and also at all the local pounds and shelters. The other I adopted out.
4 had collars with rabies tags, 3 of which were returned to their homes quickly, 1 the owner's didn't want back and was adopted out.
2 had collars without tags, all were adopted out.
2 had no collars or or microchips, 1 was returned to owner, other was pts as it was horribly old and had a traumatic brain injury.
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