Recently a friend of ours was celebrating New Years Eve in their backyard with their whole family, including their 1 year old long-haired German Shepherd. At some point in the festivities, the dog decided she wanted to ‘run with the moon Jackie’ (Stephen King Reference, know it?) and hopped the fence and ran off. This issue was exacerbated by the fact it was now 1:00 am, very dark, and in a very rural setting meaning nothing but fields for a couple of miles in any direction. The owner was frantic over her missing dog, and began that mental and emotional roller coaster I hope none of you ever has to know.Fortunately about 3 hours later, from out of the cold and snow a familiar sound of dog nails on stone patio and a scratch at the door turned into a joyful family reunion. Unfortunately, statistics tell us that the majority of dogs that get our or are otherwise lost are not so fortunate. According to the American Humane Association, only about 17% of lost dogs are ever reunited with their owners. For people like us, to whom their dogs are like their children, this is a terrifying statistic.
Yes, even when you do everything right and carefully watch, sometimes the worst can and does happen. Fortunately, there is something that owners can and SHOULD do to greatly increase the odds of their dog coming home should the worst happen, and that is microchipping. Microchipping involved implanting a tiny computer about the size of a grain of rice under the dog’s skin between its shoulder blades. This permanent marker has a registration number that, when scanned by any shelter or animal control officer, will tell them the owners name and contact information. This means that your dog comes home, and does NOT go back into the adoption cycle that, for so many ends up in euthanization.
Every dog can and will get out at some point. This is a fact. Another fact is that collars can come off or be taken off. Yes, people out there will steal your dog right out of your yard. A microchip is the ONLY way to give yourself a fighting chance to prove your dog is yours, and for them to come back home.
Some simple facts about the microchip:
- Microchips are designed to last for the life of a dog. They do not need to be charged or replaced.
- Some microchips have been known to migrate from the area between the shoulder blades, but the instructions for scanning emphasize the need to scan the dog’s entire body.
- A microchipped dog can be easily identified if found by a shelter or veterinary office in possession of a scanner. However, some shelters and veterinary offices do not have scanners.
- Depending on the brand of microchip and the year it was implanted, even so-called universal scanners may not be able to detect the microchip.
- Microchip manufacturers, veterinarians and animal shelters have been working on solutions to the imperfections, and technology continues to improve over time.
All our dogs have been chipped since the technology came about. When Roxy was about 9 months old she got out in our very densely populated neighborhood, at about 10pm. She's 9lbs and solid black. We searched for hours, driving up and down the street, the kids crying for their puppy, it was the worst feeling ever. My only solice at the time was knowing that she was chipped, and if she made it through alive, someone would find her back to me.
ReplyDeleteThankfully about 4 hours later, she followed my roomate's car from about 5 blocks away and came running in the driveway. But like you said, most stories do not end that way, and so many families are broken because these pups can't find their way home. I honestly think chipping should be required like registration.
Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad your dog came back. So often as you are well aware they do not.
Another issue is people who find a dog and just decide to KEEP it with out making any effort to find its owner! Can you imagine such a thing?
Something else that is on the rise, especially with the bully breeds (that means Pit Bulls to you and me) is simply stealing them right out of your yard! The chip would be the ONLY way to identify an animal as yours should you even find it again.
Thank you for being such a responsible owner, and thank you for following and sharing our blog.
Phil