What's The Basic Feel Of Microchipping On This Fourm?

[greypuppyluv]

I've done a lot of reading up on chipping, and decided against it. It's money I don't need to spend. At this point, there are at least two companies that make chips, and their code readers don't pick up the other company's microchip. if I were to lose a dog in a place whose shelters/police/vets/etc use the "other" microchips, I'd be up a creek. If they even check them at all. With greyhounds, since most people probably don't know about the ear tattoos (or how to even check them if they did...or how to contact the current owner if NGA registration hasn't been reassigned), they're just as bad off if they got lost as any other dog with (hopefully) the proper ID tags. Also, the idea of hemmorrhaging and shifting doesn't leave me too excited about doing it to one of my dogs anyway.

 

ETA, just read some of the posts on this last page about home again and avid chips. I still stand by my comments, since you might still get a place that won't scan, or that has scanners that won't pick up your chip.

 

I'm not up to date on which scanners can read which chips, but I DO know that even if the scanner can't read a chip number from another company, it WILL detect that there's a chip there. It happened to Little One 5 years ago. I found as a stray her running around my work complex and when I took her to my vet, he scanned her with a Home Again scanner that they had at the time (they've since gotten one that reads both AVID and Home Again). The scanner read that she had a chip, but couldn't read the number. I took her to a local shelter and they had the AVID scanner.....turns out she had an AVID chip. I know that there are scanners now that can read both chips and, at least in this area, the shelters have those.

 

The adoption group person told me I do not need to have him chipped because of his tattoos BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had to make 2 trips to Chicago's animal control (over 300 dogs there that day). No Garth. The lady shoving me from room to room (believe me zero assistance) just smirked when I said I have a greyhound and he has tattoos. She said, I quote "tattoos mean nothing to us. We scan the dogs to see if there is a chip, if there is we find the owner, if not then the dog has three days to live, unless the owner claims him/her". A DIRECT QUOTE!

Which is what I've been trying to tell everyone here, but many don't seem to be "hearing" me. Believe me, I've had plenty of experience with shelters over the years and I know this to be true.

 

THE TATTOOS IN A GREYHOUND'S EARS MEAN NOTHING TO SHELTER WORKERS.

Edited July 11, 2008 by greypuppyluv

[Guest Nelsonismyhero]

THE TATTOOS IN A GREYHOUND'S EARS MEAN NOTHING TO SHELTER WORKERS.

 

In my experience this has not been completely true. About a year ago I went to a shelter to put a hold on a greyhound that had been brought in. She didn't have any form of ID on her, not even a microchip, but she was tattooed. When I asked the shelter staff if I could put a hold on her, they said yes, but they told me that they were aware of her tattoos and that they wanted to contact the local adoption groups about her. I was actually at the shelter on behalf of an adoption group and the shelter ended up releasing her to that group. So, while shelter staff may not know the intimate details of how to look up tattoo numbers, the ones I have met are aware of greyhound tattoos and in some cases may make an effort to reunite an owner with their dog based on a tattoo.

 

I just got my pup tattooed and while I would not expect a shelter worker to see it (it's in his groin), it makes me feel more secure knowing I have an extra means of proving that he belongs to me. It's just another thing that ties him to me as the owner.

 

Audrey

[Guest CindyMessmore]

Yes, Piaget is microchipped through Home Again (there was no annual fee requested when I filled out her paperwork a couple of years ago, and I've never paid one) - they repaired her hock, spayed her, did her dental and chipped her all at the same time.

 

Obviously, not all vets implant in the same area......Lucy was microchipped in her chest and Piaget has hers between her shoulders, which is where her trainer said most greys' are put. I've asked her vet to scan her to make sure it was working and hasn't moved, and I'll probably do that again periodically.

 

I know that her tatoos are still readable and she's never without her tag collar and I have tags on her Martingale as well, but I always feel that her microchip is just another safeguard in the event that she were to be lost.

 

 

The Vet clinic we go to has a microchip display in the waiting area, which includes a chip reader. So I test my dog's chips whenever we go in for an appointment. The also have the weight scale in the waiting area, so you can weigh your dog and give that info to the tech when you check in. Works pretty neat. Easier for me to actually remember their weight number after I get home and want to mark my records.

[greypuppyluv]

THE TATTOOS IN A GREYHOUND'S EARS MEAN NOTHING TO SHELTER WORKERS.

 

In my experience this has not been completely true. About a year ago I went to a shelter to put a hold on a greyhound that had been brought in. She didn't have any form of ID on her, not even a microchip, but she was tattooed. When I asked the shelter staff if I could put a hold on her, they said yes, but they told me that they were aware of her tattoos and that they wanted to contact the local adoption groups about her. I was actually at the shelter on behalf of an adoption group and the shelter ended up releasing her to that group. So, while shelter staff may not know the intimate details of how to look up tattoo numbers, the ones I have met are aware of greyhound tattoos and in some cases may make an effort to reunite an owner with their dog based on a tattoo.

 

I just got my pup tattooed and while I would not expect a shelter worker to see it (it's in his groin), it makes me feel more secure knowing I have an extra means of proving that he belongs to me. It's just another thing that ties him to me as the owner.

 

Audrey

While I'm all for having the extra security of tattoos for identification, too many people here have implied that they think they will somehow magically get their dog back if it shows up at a shelter just because the greyhound has tattoos in it's ears. I don't think these people have sat down and played out that scenario in their heads. The shelter workers would have to know to look for tats. Then, they would have to know who to call once they found those tats. How would they do this? Are they going to take the time to call the local groups to trace this one dog? Do they even know who the local groups are? Shelter workers have a system and that systems works for them. Looking for tags and microchips works for them. Looking for tattoos doesn't.

 

I guess I should have expanded my above statement a little more, but I tried doing that in my earlier posts and many people have either chosen to ignore what I've posted or just haven't read the posts at all. Just like having a microchip is a means of identifying your dog if it shows up at a shelter, so are tattoos, but MOST shelters will not take the extra steps of looking for tattoos in a greyhound's ears nor would they know what to do with them once they found them.

 

It's absolutely wonderful that your local shelter workers knew about tattoos and I applaud them for doing so, but from my experience, that is not the norm. Of the 20 or so shelters in the LA/Orange County area, I can tell you that none of the shelter workers would look for tattoos. It's possible to find shelter workers at smaller shelters who might look, especially if they've been educated about ex-racers and work at the shelter long term, but it's NEVER a guarantee and people should not count on that. I'm guessing that over the years, our group has taken in more than 50 greyhounds from area shelters and not once did a shelter worker check for tattoos before we asked them to. One shelter in particular, South Central Los Angeles, has greyhounds coming in to their shelter at least once every few months and they just don't check for tats. Ron (FordRacingRon) just went there a few months ago to check on a greyhound that showed up at the shelter. That greyhound had tattoos, but none of us knew that until Ron went there and checked for himself.

 

I'm not saying everyone should go out and microchip their dog(s). Mine are and always will be. But, it just really bothers me that so many people here think their dog's tattoos are the guarantee they will get their lost greyhound back if it shows up at a shelter. Microchips are an accepted form of identification at shelters......tattoos in a greyhound's ears are not.

[Guest RocketDog]

We got our hounds microchipped at this year's Greyhound Gathering... but we have been so busy that we haven't even sent in the prepaid registration forms with their info yet! So much for the chips doing us any good if they get loose

[Guest ctgreylover]

I have Tony chipped. I also have several id tags on him too. I am so terrified he will get away. He is a Mamma's boy and tends not be stray more than a few inches from me in strange situations(he is always leashed), but you never know.

What is very disturbing to me it that not every police animal control department or every shelter has a scanner to read a chip. Some dont have it in their budget.

I am not good at organizing but I would love to help out with a fundraiser to make sure evey shelter and evey pound that registers with petfinder and/or some official site has one!

[Guest Mom2RooAndLexi]

Every dog I have now is microchipped. Granted, between five dogs, I am now involved with THREE microchip companies, but I still am confident that if they somehow got out, and somehow lost their collars with their ID tags, I would be able to get them back.

 

ETA: If they ended up in animal control or a shelter.

Edited July 17, 2008 by Mom2RooAndLexi

[Guest LindsaySF]

But I feel better about it anyhow. Tags can come off.

I wouldn't say that just because you have a microchip you don't need to worry about ID tags. Tags will be your dog's primary means of identification should she get lost. Usually dogs are found by neighbors and other "civilians", and they don't have microchip scanners, and they know nothing about Greyhound tattoos.

 

Also, please keep in mind that not every shelter or animal control facility even HAS a microchip scanner. The one I used to volunteer for in CT did not own one, and had no plans to get one. And by the way, most animal controls do not take dogs to the vet if they appear healthy. If spaying/neutering and vaccination before adoption are not required by the state/town, the dog never sees a vet. No chance to get a chip scanned before it is either adopted out or euthanized.

 

 

I love the idea of chipping our dogs, but I think the risks are too high.

I am assuming he means medical risks. And there is research about there about cancer and even benign tumors being caused by microchips. Right now I believe most of their research is with mice and rats, but some of the results are indeed troubling.

 

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

[Guest greyhoundgal]

All of my pets have been chipped including my cats

[GoinGrey]

It's a small price to pay for an extra way to get him back if he lost his tags.

 

GoinGrey

[ahicks51]

Both of ours came chipped from the adoption group. And the ones we foster all get chipped, too.

 

Registration is very, very important. I was trying to spring one dog from a pound in Phoenix that had been chipped, but never registered. The pound said it was a Canadian chip. The dog was up for adoption, and although they're not supposed to, they handed me the chip number so I could try to find who owned him.

 

I called the chip company's rep in Canada; they said it wasn't theirs. Puzzled, I called the company's rep in America, and asked for a supervisor who informed me the batch from which that chip came was split- half to Canada, and half to Mexico. Error number one: don't split a batch of chips with a country "sandwiched" in between. Send half to Zimbabwe and the other half to Australia or whatever.

 

So, I called up the chip's reps in Mexico; fortunately, they had an English speaker there who gave me a clinic name. I thanked them, and went to the clinic's web page: they charge US$300 for chipping a dog (!). Someone must have loved that dog very much. I called the clinic, and nobody there spoke Spanish. "Manana," I was told- call back tomorrow. I did- still no English speaker.

 

By this time, the dog had contracted kennel cough, which meant its time was limited. I found a friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend in the chemistry department who spoke Spanish fluently, but she was in the middle of an experiment. I was going to check in with her the next day, but by that time they'd destroyed the dog.

 

All this because someone paid $300 to chip the animal, but didn't bother to file the paperwork. I was furious.

[Guest ChasesMum]

Chase is chipped, George we got chipped a couple months before he was diagnosed with Osteo.(hope there is no correlation!) but both were done at the same time.

 

Anyways, when we lived in the city the tats and chip # were on file with the city, but when we moved to a smaller town they did not ask for any ID other than breed, sex, name and color. I am VERY glad she is chipped but I do need to remember to call and change her contact info. *blush*

[Guest R3GREYS]

All three of ours were chipped when we adopted them from GAA. It's part of the adoption package. They chip and pay to register. It adds just one more layer of protection. How many times have you heard of dogs slipping their collar and the owner standing there holding the leash, collar and tags. We have their tags on a separate 3/4 inch tag collar. The tats are ok for information around grey people but I would think that most shelters or police wouldn't even know they where there or how to read them.

[greypuppyluv]

With Greyhound Pets of America Northwest, they all have a tag with a number identifying them with their owner. Along with a GPA-NW phone number. I also have their tags with my information always on their collar. And they ALWAYS have their collars on. I don't feel the need to microchip. Not that it's a bad idea. I just don't feel the need.

Wanted to bring this back up again since GAC just had a dog that got out of it's yard on Thanksgiving (you can view Ruby's Amber Alert thread here). Ruby had her collar on with owner's tags and GAC tag when she got out. She was found running around a hiking trail Friday night.....WITH NO COLLAR ON. Ruby had that collar on when she got out. Guess what? She wasn't microchipped (the couple who found her took her to their vet's office to check for one). The ONLY way Ruby got back to her owner was because someone at the vet's office recommended the couple check Craig's List to see if someone posted about a lost greyhound. Sure enough, the owner's children did and Ruby was able to come home tonight because of the listing. Had Ruby been microchipped, she would have been home sooner and the owner would have spent less time worrying about never seeing her greyhound again.

 

I'm posting this because I want people to know that this stuff happens in real life! Collars can and DO come off.....microchips on the other hand, are a much more permanent form of identification. You can choose to chip or not to chip, but just remember that this story is real.....if it happened to this couple, it can happen to you.

[Guest the36thchamber]

When I adopted Lego, my placement rep told me that chipping was required so I got him chipped. When I went to get his license, I found out that it was not required. I don't know why my rep told me it was required, he does live in a different city in a different county so maybe where he lives, that's the case. I've always thought chipping was rather creepy, I wouldn't want a chip planted in my neck. Still though, I can see the benefit of it so in the end, I do support it. Lego is only three and the tats on his left ear are already fairly faded to the point that you can't see the last digit. As for people at shelters not recognizing Greys, that's pretty mind boggling but I guess it can happen. Everywhere I go, I hear, hey look, a Greyhound, a Greyhound. I always though Greys were one of the most recognizable breeds of dog.

[greypuppyluv]

As for people at shelters not recognizing Greys, that's pretty mind boggling but I guess it can happen. Everywhere I go, I hear, hey look, a Greyhound, a Greyhound. I always though Greys were one of the most recognizable breeds of dog.

In my experience, shelter workers recognize greyhounds (although they will label lots of other breeds as greyhound mixes....I guess it sounds more exotic), but it's the tattoos they don't know about. If Lego ended up in a shelter in Orange or LA county, the workers would know he's a greyhound, but would not think to look in his ears for any identification. So, whether or not his tattoos are readable, they still wouldn't know what to do with them even if they found them.

[Guest LokisMom]

As for people at shelters not recognizing Greys, that's pretty mind boggling but I guess it can happen. Everywhere I go, I hear, hey look, a Greyhound, a Greyhound. I always though Greys were one of the most recognizable breeds of dog.

In my experience, shelter workers recognize greyhounds (although they will label lots of other breeds as greyhound mixes....I guess it sounds more exotic), but it's the tattoos they don't know about. If Lego ended up in a shelter in Orange or LA county, the workers would know he's a greyhound, but would not think to look in his ears for any identification. So, whether or not his tattoos are readable, they still wouldn't know what to do with them even if they found them.

 

I just want to add to this from personal experience. I worked at a vet clinic years ago. I knew about greyhound tattoos and even looked at them on the greyhounds that came in. All I knew though was that was their racing ID. I had no idea that there were databases or places like GT or even adoption groups to contact. Luckily we never had a loose greyhound come in but we would not have known what to do with the tattoos had one come in.

 

We always checked for microchips. The vet would bring the dog in the back and check even if the owner said they "purchased" it. Always wanted to make sure it was not a stolen dog.

[Guest LoveMyJoseyBean]

We got Josey from the rescue group with a chip already implanted. I have always thought it was a great idea, but hearing that it can cause tumors makes me feel a bit weird about it. I had thought about doing it with our cats, but maybe not so much now. Besides, I don't think we could loose those monkeys even if we tried!

[Guest BoogieDown]

My grey came chipped from the adoption agency. I had my other two pups (now both are at the bridge) chipped years and years ago. Never had to use it - those lazy slugs would never wander off even when they had the opportunity - but I felt more secure knowing they were chipped. Collars come off, tags get scratched and bent, all kinds of things happen. I didn't know about any risks associated with it, though.

[GreytHoundPoet]

I haven't adopted yet, but when I do, I will definitely be inclined to microchip. All of my cats are chipped, even though they are strictly indoor only. We're thinking of moving overseas in a few years, and if we do it's a requirement for that. Besides I just think it's a responsible thing to do.

 

I would add that I think it's LESS necessary for greyhounds, though, since they're obviously much easier to identify than most other dogs.

 

 

Argos was microchipped in Spain and we had to get him re-microchipped here because the readers here don't read foreign ones so you'll have to re-microchip in the other country most likely to stay chipped.

[Beautybabe]

Martin was chipped when he went for his first dental. Emmet was going to be chipped but raised such a fuss at the vet that they decided to wait until the next good opportunity. Reading and tracing his Irish tats would be an exercise in futility.

[Guest brit1]

I was going to get my dog chipped but when I asked my vet recently if it is safe she said to wait until next year, apparently the veterinary holistic association is doing some sort of study regarding the slight chance of cancer . Just a year or so ago she was ok with it but in view of my recent losses she said if I want to wait there may be more information next year. Also, my little sheltieX who was dx with an autoimmune disease and died in my arms this year was chipped twice apparently, by the same shelter that she was dumped at each time . Somehow, due to my intense grief that has not dissipated regarding her death I am now overly cautious about all this stuff. On the other hand I do recognize the advantages of chipping. Quite a quandary so hopefully there will be more data next year. He does wear a slide on boomerang tag on his collar but I realize that the collar could come off somehow

anne

[Guest greytful4]

My two are chipped, plus they're getting embroidered name & phone number collars! Small price to pay for knowing that should they get out, God forbid, at least I feel comfort in knowing that they would be id'd.

[Guest twoskinnydogs]

I have both of mine chipped, one with AVID and the other with Homeagain.....vet changed chips in the years between getting them. There is also a GPS locator that you can buy for the collar of the dog, it's kinda big for a grey though. If anyone is interested here is the website for the GPS GPS Collar

[Guest isntitgreyt]

I plan on getting my two done. My Boston Terrier is chipped. It's a good idea. I used to work at the SPCA and a lot of dogs and cats found their way home because of the microchip.