Lost dogs, tags and microchips

[marshlander]

Just recently seen several ads and facebook posts for dogs lost while out walking, usually dog has run off after something and not come back. The saddest thing that struck me was none of these dogs had collars or name tags which, quite apart from being a legal requirement, make it much less likely that the owners will ever get their dogs back.

Our dog is also microchipped, it wasn't expensive and gives us peace of mind. It would break my heart to lose him.

[the.fee.fairy]

They're a great idea, and my dog in the UK is chipped, and nucky will be chipped as soon as I can find a vet than can do it...

BUT...most police stations don't have chip readers, which is a big failing. More dogs could be reunited with their owners a lot quicker if they did have. Tags can be lost or caught on things.

I also heard that dog wardens don't routinely carry chip readers and some rescue centres and kennels don't have them either.

A few years ago there were warnings on chips causing cancerous tumours at the injection site. I never saw any follow up on these, so I poke Finlay's chip area regularly to make sure that nothing's growing that shouldn't be.

In the US they used to tattoo dogs with ID numbers. Although the tattooing is probably painful if not anaesthetised, the implantation of chips is painful too (have you seen the size of the needle!!). I do wonder whether tattooing the dog inside the ear under anaesthetic with an ID number that can be looked up on any computer, anywhere might lead to more dogs and owners being reunited.

I live near Hatfield Forest in the UK, and I reckon there's a massive pack of previously-domestic dogs there. I used to work in one of the pubs at the edge and we had on average, an owner a week asking to put up a poster because they'd lost their dog. Usually, the dogs were off lead. Some owners even let untrained dogs off the lead because the forest is a big open space and they thought that the dog would come back.

One of the kindest things you can do for a dog who likes to run is to get a few training leads, clip them all together and give the dog a run, but keep him attached to you. Some dogs just can't go offlead (Finlay's one of those dogs - he knows his way home...but only going across the road, and he doesn't understand cars). Responsible ownership would stop a lot of runaway dogs.

[jampot]

i have a jack russel who is a b88ger for running after rabbits. she is chipped and wears a tagged collar , but as fee fairy says there are no dog wardens or police with chip readers . so if and when she slips her collar it would take a good Samaritan willing to pay a vet consultation fee for her to be scanned and returned ( luckily or not she ends up crossing the main road !!! and scratches at the back gate while im still out looking for her)
interesting point about the growths around chip sites, my older JR has "fatty lumps" all over and one of the larger ones is over/ about his chip!?!

[diggernotdreamer]

When Weasel my lurcher got out once, old, deaf, mad and just went in a straight line, she was taken to the police station, and as you say no scanner even though she was chipped

Fungus my Staffie is chipped, we have never lost him thank goodness, but In Ireland, there don't even seem to be many vets who have scanners. My gripe with the chips are if you change details etc, you have to send five quid to change information, don't know if there are any you can just change easily on line now? but had to send a card with a cheque

Jampot FYI people who take strays or wild animals to the vet would rarely be charged for this or the local dog warden or RSPCA should have a scanner

[marshlander]

Harry, my Bichon, had his chip done at the same time as having his ambitions removed so was under at the time.

[the.fee.fairy]

I wouldn't have a problem with paying for details to be changed, as long as more places had chip readers.

I'd rather pay to get the dog tattooed - its permanent and visible. As long as the ID registry was available online somewhere, it'd be a much better idea - show me a police station/dog warden/rescue centre/vet without internet access...

[Big Al]

Just recently seen several ads and facebook posts for dogs lost while out walking, usually dog has run off after something and not come back. The saddest thing that struck me was none of these dogs had collars or name tags which, quite apart from being a legal requirement, make it much less likely that the owners will ever get their dogs back.

Our dog is also microchipped, it wasn't expensive and gives us peace of mind. It would break my heart to lose him.

Like yours, my lovely red setter is chipped but do you pay the annual fee of £25 to keep your dog on the data base?

I haven't after the first year unbeknown to me that the dog is taken off the dogs trust database so if he goes missing then the fact he is chipped is of no use as far as I believe.

Obviously I will welcome the idea I might be wrong on this one.

Big Al

[Broad Bean]

Our cats were both chipped as kittens and after the initial payment we don't have to pay anything unless we want to change the details. Certainly no yearly payment.

[trinder]

When we got our adult (4yr old) GSD first thing I did was take her to the vets and have her checked and chipped. I suspect that I would have told OH but he would either have not been listening or did not know what I was talking about and was not interested enough to ask However.
About a year later we decided to have her spayed I made all the bookings and OH took her, When I collected her I looked at the bill and I had been charged with having her chipped ? I complained that had they looked at their own data sheet they would have known that they had previously done it! but they said that they asked my OH if he would like it done and he said okay. I said if they had asked the question had she been done the answer would have been "I don't know " I could not believe it but still had to pay ( although they did knock some money off)
I have since changed my vet.

[the.fee.fairy]

Nucky is now chipped, vaccinated and spayed! Cost me a pretty penny to get it all done, and we've got to go back in a month for the rabies test, but she's getting ready to travel now.

One thing I found out though - I thought that the chip held information such as vaccinations/medical disorders etc, but it doesn't. it's literally just a number that gets scanned and then the number relates to the dog and owner - an ID system.

It's be much more useful if it actually had updates on it too, things like if the dog is allergic to a certain medication, if the dog has a medical disorder like diabetes that needs medication and when the last vaccinations were, major surgery etc. That would be really useful for any vet or rescue centre that takes in a chipped dog.

I paid £10 for the chip in the UK and that registers her as being owned in the UK (I know, I know...long way from home!!). I bought it there so that it's definitely the right one to get her through customs. i don't trust the Chinese vet enough to make sure that she gets a universal chip that's read everywhere rather than one that just gets her out of China. As far as I know, that payment keeps her on the database. They do have a charge for premium owners, but I'm not sure what extras it has except for changing details if necessary.