Question:
I must admit my ignorance and confess that I have no idea what microchips for dogs are. Is it anything like having your dog tattooed? Or is there more to it than that? I would love to hear what it is and what the advantages are and any other info you would care to share as it sounds very intriguing. I look forward to reading your posting!
*Microchipping is an ever-growing, popular pet-retrieval system that has been designed to enhance one's chances of finding a lost pet. A permanent identification is provided by a tiny (about the size of a grain of rice) *microchip that is implanted between the dog or cat's shoulders, quickly and safely. The "chip" is programmed with a unique, unalterable code that can be identified with a hand-held scanner, similar to the scanners in the grocery stores. These scanners are being used in more and more vet's offices, animal shelters and animal-control agencies, across the country. When a lost pet is brought to one of these locations, the code is retrieved and called in to the AKC database, where your info is kept, and is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through an 800#. The main problems right now with the chip are: not all agencies have a scanner, yet; and the ones that do, well, none have yet the capabilities to read all brands of chips, which there are several. The good news, or so I've been told, is that a universal scanner is in the making. After being informed by our local pet control officer (Sunni's uncle), Gus, that our tiny town now has a scanner, I decided it was time for us to do it. If our community has the thing, then it's just a matter of time before it will be universally used. Oh, and it cost me 75.00 for two dogs, plus another 14.00 each to register with AKC. Jeannie
*Note: Because some local dog agencies do not have scanners that are compatible with the type of chip your dog has implanted, it's always a good idea to to have your dog tattooed and have his/her I.D. Tags on, as well.