Dog Identification - Identifying Your Dog

The trusty old dog registration tag is quickly being replaced as the primary method of identifying lost dogs by microchips and tattooing. These new identification procedures have experienced a huge rise in popularity over the past couple of years, but there are some very serious downsides to these methods that pet owners may not have considered. Many dog owners resentfully comply with local licensing regulations thinking that their money is being wasted. After all, why make your pet wear one of those annoying plastic license tags when you can have them implanted with a microchip or branded with a special identification number? If those are your feelings as well, you might be surprised to learn some troubling facts about alternative identification methods not being widely discussed.

Microchips are not a universal solution to dog identification. Many smaller breeds can be scarred by the process or experience health problems as a result of the implant. As a Chihuahua breeder, I have heard more than a few horror stories about chips and Chi’s. Tattooing is another non-option for small dog owners because it can and does disfigure the animal. But it isn’t the process of chipping or tattooing that bothers me as much as the results of what can and has happened when chipped or tattooed dogs are stolen. Thefts of small or valuable dogs are on the rise. A great-looking Chihuahua with or without papers is going for well over $US5000 today in China.

Puppies and mature dogs that produce them can be worth a lot of cash. But what happens when a thief who is familiar with the tattooing or implantation process becomes aware that a dog they’ve stolen has been chipped or tattooed? The answer is, too often, the unthinkable. In a perfect world, your cute and cuddly pet accidentally gets away from you and is later found by a pet lover or animal control officer whose only concern is reuniting owner and animal. In such a case, chipping or tattoos work. But so do dog licenses! If a chipped or tattooed pet falls into the wrong hands, it’s unlikely that the animal will survive the ordeal anyway because it will have no value. If an honest person finds your dog, the license is there to reunite animal and owner. Although most jurisdictions unfairly target breeders and those who choose not to alter their dogs with higher fees, dog licenses have become a necessary evil in a world of irresponsible pet owners. With parvo, rabies and other pet diseases on the rise, many areas have been left with few