[Best*In*Show]

What is written on your dog's tag?

If you have a tattoo on your dog, what does it say?

Microchip -- done it?

I'm curious -- has anyone used all 3?

Anyone get a dog back from a microchip alone? A tattoo? Tags? Anyone have any unusual "loss prevention" strategies for their doggies?

 

[3dogmom26]

My dogs are all microchipped. When we are out and about, they wear collars with tags also. Their tags say their names, our address, cell phone number, and our first initial and last name. On the back of a couple of their tags, it says their microchip ID number. At home, none of them wear collars for safety reasons. My old trainer used to tattoo dogs and swears by it but I'm not a big fan. THE main reason being that if you ask the average person who they would call if they found a dog with a tattoo, almost no one knows.....hence making them pretty useless. And beyond that, I think they look kind of ugly on the dog and they tend to fade and are tough to read after a little while. With a microchip and tags, you just can't go wrong!

 

[Best*In*Show]

I read the lost and found -- I've seen dogs without tags on that are microchipped and not returned -- it made me think about an "I am microchipped" tattoo.

I've heard of a couple dogs that were chipped, tagged and tattooed and still not returned, though.

 

[jesirose]

Sadie's tag has her name and my cell phone. On the back it says "I require daily medication, if found take me to a vet. I have a microchip".

She doesn't really, but she's so cute and fluffy I could imagine someone finding and keeping her, but that kind of person likely won't want to pay for daily meds.

 

[ColoradoSooner]

Jesirose - that's a GREAT idea!

Ours are microchipped. We also have collars that are embroidered with their names and our phone number. The embroidery is big enough that someone could read it from a distance if they couldn't catch the dog. (We got them from PetSmart online.) And of course, we have tags too with all the pertinent info. Our dogs (and cats) carry LOTS of identification.

 

[lucyloo2]

Jesirose > I have a few friends who did that too! I think it's a great idea and have thought about doing it too.

Lucy wears a tag with her name and my cell phone number. She also has a tatoo in her ear, which is just some numbers the vet chose.

 

[niccru]

My dogs tags have:

Dog name
Phone number
City, State
REWARD!

I have not gotten my dogs microchipped, but plan on getting my 15 month old done in about a month or so. I will get my 9 week old done when I get her spayed at 6 months.

 

[Thracian]

Cupid was microchipped when I got him. He also wears a tag with his name on the front and my name and cell phone number on the back.

I'm planning to get Clayton microchipped at some point, as well as tags.

 

[Smithcat]

Both my wifes Guides (one active, one retired) have their ID tattooed in their ears. It is a unique number that shows whelp date and order. They both have collars with their Guide Dogs for the Blind tags on them.

 

[ColoradoSooner]

Those with tattooed dogs, can you tell me how this works? I know with a chip, they're scanned and they can find the number through a database. Is there the same kind of database for tattoos?

Thanks!

 

[Sunshyne]

Chloe is microchipped and wears a tag. The tag has her name, my address and both my home and cell numbers. The back says "Needs Medication Daily, please take to a vet if found". I got that idea from DF! She has actually had persistant (every few months or so) nail bed infections, so she really is on meds on and off, but it's not life threatening.

I have heard of tattooing but my vet didn't offer it, nor did her breeder (I heard some do this as puppies).

 

[Erick Aguilar]

Those with tattooed dogs, can you tell me how this works? I know with a chip, they're scanned and they can find the number through a database. Is there the same kind of database for tattoos?

Thanks!

Tattoos work best when you go claim your dog if it was brought to the pound or if someone claims it them, when the dog's lost you post up flyers that includes that dogs I.D.

Our Rottweiler had a tattoo in his inner hip, all our other dogs had a rabies tag along with their address and phone number.

 

[RonE]

Anyone get a dog back from a microchip alone?

I have.

Molly flew the coop without her collar or tags. I got a call within a couple of hours from the shelter in the next city because Molly was chipped.

 

[Best*In*Show]

That's great, Ron.

It makes me so happy to see animals returned like that.

I like the medication/reward ideas for tags.

Maybe I should put both on Ruby's:

"$500 Reward. Has Ebola."

 

[kpollard]

Ted is chipped and tattooed, and has tags.

We got him tattooed because our vet told us it was a good idea--research facilities aren't permitted to accept tattooed animals. It's down on his belly by one of his hind legs, they did it while he was sedated from his neuter.

 

[Best*In*Show]

I didn't know that about research facilities. What does his tattoo say?

 

[Kyllobernese]

In our area the Vet tattoos your dog when they are spayed or neutered. When my niece found a little Shih Tzu alongside a busy road, she had a tattoo in her ear and she just phoned up the Vet and they told her who owned the dog. When we first started breeding Scottish Terriers, they were tatooed to be reg. with the Canadian Kennel Club, then they changed to nose prints. I could never see how you would be able to identify a dog from a nose print. The Greyhounds were tatooed in both ears for their Greyhound Coursing Assoc. registry and in the flank for the CKC. Susie has a tattoo in her ear from when she was spayed.

 

[ColoradoSooner]

What does his tattoo say?

"MOTHER"

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

 

[alphadoginthehouse]

Butch is chipped; Roxxy will be when she has her teeth cleaned on Tues. I need to have Mort chipped. They all have Loony Toons tags with their name, my phone number and "If you found me, I'm lost. Please call my mom".

Mine wear their collars all the time. Since I use halters when I walk them, their collars are loose so if they get caught on something, the collar will slip off. Mort has lost his a couple of times outside.

 

[DogGoneGood]

I have trouble keeping a collar on Coal - nevermind tags! I tried tags with him for the first couple of years I had him but they kept breaking off. He's really hard on collars and tags. He doesn't have any identifaction now, but I honestly don't worry. Everyone around here knows who my dogs belong to (small town thing). When I move I'll invest in identifaction for them.

Linkin use to have a district tag, but it expired. It was licensed to his old owners anyway, and they've moved now. In my town, if you live in town or on the reserve you have to have your dog licensed, but out of town you don't (which is where we live).

So, neither of my dogs have identification... they really should, but it's honestly not a big worry here. Like I said, everyone around here knows who they belong to, and I'll be getting identification for them once I move away. I'd be more worried about them being run over on the roads than lost and not being returned.

When I was young we had a lab named Blue who had tags that had our address, phone number and his name on it. One day we got a phone call from someone down the road who was asked if our dog was missing. The answer was no, as he was at home, and they replied "oh, well is his collar then?" They found the collar and called our number on his tag.