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just curious--micro chipping

3K views 42 replies 15 participants last post by  AquaClaraCanines 
#1 ·
I am just curious--how many of you have your dogs micro chipped?

I got Julie when she was 8 weeks and would not let her off the leash until that chip was in--only then did she get to go into the backyard (with me watching of course). Paranoid might have been an understatement...lol

Do you preach micro chipping? I have heard myself doing it--guess cause I live in a Hurricane level 1 evacuation zone.
 
#2 ·
My dogs are microchipped by HOME AGAIN. We've been lucky and not had a reason to need it but i did it for a peace of mind. Just in case. I see nothing wrong with being prepared in case of an emergency. Think about it, Katrina hit and all those dogs were misplaced. I'm sure the microchipped ones were mostly reunited. I would hope so anyway:crossfing
 
#3 ·
Our puppy was microchipped before we brought him home :) I had the vet scan it at the first visit just to make sure it worked correctly and that the ID number matched the number I had. I would urge others to do the same. It only takes a second and doesn't cost anything.
 
#4 ·
I so totally agree!

Another advantage is that if some dummy steals your dog--you have legal proof it is yours. The rescue group here just went through that--lost golden--we picked it up from the pound--was in foster care for over a month-adopted--THEN the silly first owner sees on the website a dog she says is hers under adopted---and raises hell. The family who adopted the dog agreed to give her up--but get this--because we had spayed the dog and paid for the shots--the judge ordered she pay the adoption fee--she had to borrow 200 dollars off her mother's credit card to pay that. It was a big story in the news her.

A ten dollar microchip would have saved everyone what amounted to almost $1,000.00 all that trouble.
 
#5 ·
I had Bailey microchipped with Home Again when he got neutered. We have an invisible fence (no fence comments please) and even though my other dog didn't run through it, I wanted to be safe.
 
#11 ·
This is from the Avid site. It seems that shelters use a universal scanner that can read either brand:



How many brands of chips are there? Can shelters read the AVID® chip?

Microchips operate by sending and receiving radiowave signals. Therefore they function at a particular frequency. In the United States the accepted and used radiowave frequency is 125 kHz. The chips most commonly used in the United States companion animal industry are AVID® and HomeAgain™. Shelters know and trust these microchip companies to provide fast recovery services for lost pets.

In the mid 90's, shelter groups asked microchip companies to provide shelters with a "universal" scanner that could read both chips. Since then, rescue groups, shelters and humane societies can use a single scanner to detect any 125 kHz microchip.
 
#8 ·
We have Avid. You know, it just occurred to me--how does Avid have MY information? The breeder would have had to give it to them. If she didn't... well, she would have to be the one to call up and change it, no? I'm thinking I couldn't call Avid and change the info myself, because then anyone who steals a dog could do the same. Hmmm, I'm confused.
 
#12 ·
You have raised a very valid point--could some dummy who stole your dog call and change the owner? Since they have the number on the tag? Julie actually ate her tag--don't ask me how because I don't know--but I am sure it involved mud somehow or somewhere--

This is something we need to find out!
 
#14 ·
All of mine are microchipped and YES I put their tag on their collars and here's why: some people who find dogs don't bother to have their vet or a shelter check for microchips. The tag tells the dummies to check for chips.
 
#16 ·
Sorry for a million posts... I was unaware that microchipping is only half the story. If you then don't register your pet in PETtrack, there is no way of knowing that the pet belongs to you in particular. All AVID knows is that someone found a pet that came from your breeder, or whoever purchased the microchip. Yikes! Getting on the phone to PETtrak now...
 
#17 ·
From the Home Again website:

I adopted a pet, and it already has a HomeAgain microchip. How can I change the contact information?
To avoid disputes of ownership, HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service requires that the new Primary Contact provide with the pet's original Confirmation Letter. The new Primary Contact must fill out the area on the bottom of the confirmation letter and return it to HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service with a payment of $12.50. If you have lost the Confirmation Letter, and would like to request a Primary Contact Transfer Form please complete the Primary Transfer Request online or contact HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service directly at 1-866-PET-ID24 (1-866-738-4324). Upon receipt of the Transfer of Primary Contact request, please allow 10 business days for processing.
 
#22 ·
From the Home Again website:
I adopted a pet, and it already has a HomeAgain microchip. How can I change the contact information?
To avoid disputes of ownership, HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service requires that the new Primary Contact provide with the pet's original Confirmation Letter. The new Primary Contact must fill out the area on the bottom of the confirmation letter and return it to HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service with a payment of $12.50. If you have lost the Confirmation Letter, and would like to request a Primary Contact Transfer Form please complete the Primary Transfer Request online or contact HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service directly at 1-866-PET-ID24 (1-866-738-4324). Upon receipt of the Transfer of Primary Contact request, please allow 10 business days for processing.
The AVID site doesn't have anything like that. All I know is Augie was microchipped by the breeder. OK, just got off the phone with them. Augie is all registered in PETtrac with our name and address, our vet's, and a relative's. Whew! Thanks for posting the question, njb!
 
#18 ·
No kidding! I paid the money and did the whole online registration fee--but--

I went to the Home Again website--and it said if you need to transfer you animals contact information and are unable to provide documentation fro the original owner--please call.....I called--I have been on hold all this time.

I am hoping because I also (as we all do I think) provided my primary Vets name-that might serve as a stop gap to fraud? I would tell them if Julie was missing...but in the event of a hurricane? Which is a real threat here--if they could not get my vet?

I should have never started this---ignorance is sometimes bliss
 
#19 ·
All of mine are chipped....... I dont have there tags on them...... Maggie ate hers....If you change the info on there there is a fee...... like 18-25 dollars.... They also work with keys....... Long story short...my son had a avid tag from one of the fosters we had on his key ring (Jake passed) anyway he lost his keys at school in the library . they called avid and inturn they gave the librarian the rescues number and she called and told them they had the keys...... Bob who owns the rescue knew they belonged to my son from the HS he goes to.....:eek:
 
#20 ·
This is a good thread. Dottie has a HomeAgain chip, and she wears her chip-indicator tag on her collar for the same reason that Brandy's Mom stated. It seems like many people don't stop to think about whether a found dog is chipped.

But Barrington doesn't have a chip, as he was neutered under the care of the rescue group, and they didn't offer chipping. This reminds me that we need to make sure that Dottie's info is up-to-date with the HomeAgain people AND see about getting a chip for Barrington.
 
#24 ·
This is a good thread. Dottie has a HomeAgain chip, and she wears her chip-indicator tag on her collar for the same reason that Brandy's Mom stated. It seems like many people don't stop to think about whether a found dog is chipped.
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I don't think a lot of people even know about microchipping. That's why Augie has his AVID tag on his collar along with his regular ID tag. I want to make it as easy as possible for someone to return my dog if he ever got lost. But then I was wondering about someone using the ID number on the tag to change my information to their's. I don't think that can be done now that I've registered my dog in PetTRAK. Before... who knows? All I had was the AVID microchip number when I called up a few minutes ago to register Augie. Anyone could have done that and poof! Augie was now their's :-(
 
#21 ·
Chips have gotten really cheap too--our group does not do it--even though I keep suggesting it--lots of rescues here do though---

There is a new low cost spay neuter clinic close to me that does it for 10 dollars--I have had vet techs tell me it can be done for free by the owner etc.

I know some folks that both microchip and tattoo their dogs--this is not something I am beyond.
 
#25 ·
Actually I am sorry for causing a mild panic. -But I am kinda in panic mode for reasons we all know---

I really love my girl and I don't know what I would do if someone took her or she got lost---

She is a special dog too--kinda of a rehab dog for other dogs--the fosters I have--it is her presence that calms them,. She is the one that coaxes them in to the pool for the first time--Weird- I have only had 3 fosters so far--and not a one of them would get in water when I got them--after just a few days of playing with Julie--they remember. I have watched when they did not know I was--and she does this 'thing' in the pool with her eyes...like she is begging them come on in....baiting them to play. You can see they don't know--like they want too--but--this is new--takes her about 2 days to get them in the pool.

Nothing is sadder than a golden who won't go in the water--or afraid of water.
 
#28 ·
What a sweet doggy :) I'm really glad you posted about this topic, because it got me looking at the AVID site and that's when I realized that Augie wasn't really covered the way I would want.... he could be traced back to the breeder, but not to me. And I'm pretty sure if he had gotten lost, an unscrupulous person could have used his chip number and registered the dog to himself :eek:

BaileysMom, great story!
 
#29 ·
All I know is that the folks here really love their dogs and would be heartbroken if we could not find them.

This all started because the people who turned Cosmo in did not 'say' he was micro chipped...how can you have a dog this beautiful and not microchip?

I am still going to have the vet check when I take him in for his flying papers.
 
#31 ·
Microchip Address Tags

I got my 4 goldens microchipped but I didn't put the tags on them because my husband and I felt that if they ever got stolen and they saw the tags they would know they were chipped and wouldn't bring them to the vets in fear that they would be scanned. The vet told us when a new dog comes in they scan it in the back room to see if it has a chip to make sure it wasn't stolen.
 
#35 ·
I got my 4 goldens microchipped but I didn't put the tags on them because my husband and I felt that if they ever got stolen and they saw the tags they would know they were chipped and wouldn't bring them to the vets in fear that they would be scanned. The vet told us when a new dog comes in they scan it in the back room to see if it has a chip to make sure it wasn't stolen.

I just had Tinkerbell done when she was spayed. And my vet recommended not putting the tag on for the same reason. We have a HOME AGAIN chip. It had a place to put vet's info , my info, and aomeone else's in case I can't be reached. For those of you in Hurricane areas I would pick someone outside of your area. I don't have to worry about huriicanes but I still chose to put an extra person down and chose my brother who lives 900 miles away.
 
#33 · (Edited)
Most breeders do microchipping before they go home... all that I have looked into do that.
I didn't know there was another side to microchipping... what is Pettrak? Does it cost anything to register?
It was $18.50 lifetime. PETtrac is AVID's id system. Once you get the AVID microchip number, you can or should register your pet with PETtrac. They take your name, address, phone number(s), your vet's info, alternate emergency contact, pet info, etc, then they mail you a certificate. That way if your pet is lost, they know who to contact. It also prevents someone who found or stole your pet from trying to use the microchip number to change the owner info to their own... I believe they need the certificate to do that (or at the very least, know all the info you supplied to PETtrac). I'm sure the other microchip companies have similar programs, so you can check when you get your doggy.

If I didn't register with PETtrac, then if my dog was found all AVID would know is that the dog came from my breeder (who bought the microchip from them). They wouldn't know he belonged to me and the breeder would have to go through her info to find that out... if she indeed kept good records to begin with.
 
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