Service with a smile from the ACK

[Sue R]

My daughter's dog went missing for a short while recently. She went around the neighborhood and down to the local market and did not find her (this is not a dog that roams).

 

After an hour and a half, she received a call from the market that they had her dog. When she went to fetch her home, she found that they had (wisely, as this is the height of their summer tourist season) tried calling the big yellow CAR tag on the dog's collar first. They were told, by the representative at the 800 number, that they had no record of a dog with that microchip number.

 

This was the AKC 800 number that was on the tag, which was the contact number for the CAR microchip that Nellie has (and Lisa's dog, Ben, and cat, Cleo). Well, Lisa called that number when she got home and gave the rep an earful, which only doubled when she was told that AKC and CAR had split up several years ago and there was now a new number to call for those dogs with CAR chips dating prior to that time.

 

Of course, neither she nor we were ever notified of this and now we come to find that the tags we have for our dogs have a number on them that, should they be lost or strayed, will result in the answer, "We don't have a record of that number."

 

Now, why couldn't that rep have simply said, the new number to call for that CAR microchip is 1-800--------? No, instead there was no notification (all our "lost dog" posters have incorrect numbers along with the dog tags) and no offer to supply (or even sell) tags with the new number.

 

Another bonehead move by AKC (and poor service by CAR, which should have seen that customers were notified and updated). By the way, we had those chips implanted because that's what our vet used at the time (and still use, although since the split between AKC and CAR, new implants should come with correct information).

 

I would hope that shelters and vets that scan a dog would have the correct phone contact information for the relevant microchips. You can bet I will check with my vet.

 

Just venting...

[ShoresDog]

Gah, what next? Daisy had a microchip implanted 3.5 years ago when we got here, and it was some kind of AKC brand which our vet used. I'm going to do a test phone call to make sure it works!

[mbc1963]

Well, this thread made me want to go online and order a new collar tag for my dog, since he lost his HomeAgain (chip) tag when his collar broke last year. Lo and behold, it's the "New" HomeAgain, and they have no record of my e-mail address in their system. When I called the service #, they did have my e-mail in their system, and I was able to reset my password.

 

However, their website is full of tweaks to get you to "upgrade" to an annual subscription. Not very comfortable with this "loss" of my e-mail address and needing to call them, and then all these additional ads on their sites.

 

Not to mention that if you call 1-800-bleahbleah by accident instead of 1-888-bleahbleah, you find yourself on a telephone porn line. Harumph.

 

Mary

[DTrain]

This brings up an interesting point and we have more problems coming up in the future. Both AKC and CKC sell micro chips but what they do not tell you is that they do not register the chip with all services AND the chip they sell will shortly be out of service along with the registration. Both Canada and the U.S. currently use FECAVA chips BUT ISO chips are quickly becoming the world standard. All countries except Canada and the U.S. are now using ISO chips. Canada is quickly moving to ISO chips and registry and should be complete within the next couple of years but the U.S. has decided for whatever strange reason I am not clear on to delay the move to ISO chips for another ten years. This means that a dog with a current FECAVA chip will not be registered in the future, the registration will be dropped when the move to ISO chips is complete and if you travel out of the U.S. with your dog the FECAVA chip cannot be read and this will shortly include travel to Canada. Going to a world standard is a very good idea. An ISO chip will allow your dog to be read anywhere on the planet. FECAVA chips and registration services currently are almost becoming a regional thing. It is not always the case that the chip you are using can be read or is even registered with a service. Check carefully if you rely on your chip for recovery of your dog. Encourage the American Vet Association to get going on the ISO chip.

[juliepoudrier]

What all this says to me is that spending money to have a microchipo implanted may simply be a waste and that instead perhaps I should count on tattoos and collar tags to get my dogs home. When I recently chipped the ones who weren't chipped, the package was the CAR chip. I registered everyone online and had no trouble tracking down the two dogs who had been registered much earlier. I can't remember if I did this through AKC or CAR, though, so now I'll have to go look. Not that it matters, I guess, since likely whatever number some poor helpful concerned finder uses will likely be the wrong one....

 

J.

[Debbie Meier]

What all this says to me is that spending money to have a microchipo implanted may simply be a waste and that instead perhaps I should count on tattoos and collar tags to get my dogs home. When I recently chipped the ones who weren't chipped, the package was the CAR chip. I registered everyone online and had no trouble tracking down the two dogs who had been registered much earlier. I can't remember if I did this through AKC or CAR, though, so now I'll have to go look. Not that it matters, I guess, since likely whatever number some poor helpful concerned finder uses will likely be the wrong one....

 

J.

 

I'm really glad we did not spend the money to have our entire crew chipped last fall, tattos might just be the best route if you wanted a perminant record, we still would need a central data base if you wanted to use it to help reunite pet with their owner but atleast you don't have to worry about the tattoo becoming obsolete. Based on this thread, the only way I would chip now would be if it was required via a federal or state premise ID program, they are going to have to make me do it, any other route would be money in the coffers of someone in the business of turning a buck for themselves, not really interested in tracking the whereabout of the dogs....scams..

 

Deb

[mbc1963]

To be fair to the chips, I do think almost all the vets and shelters around here have scanners, and routinely use them to scan dogs brought in. I would be annoyed if my chip didn't end up being useful in that situation, but the money I spent on it is small change compared to what I'd be happy to spend printing posters and such if my dog were lost without a chip.

 

Mary

[Tranquilis]

This brings up an interesting point and we have more problems coming up in the future. Both AKC and CKC sell micro chips...

 

...the U.S. has decided for whatever strange reason I am not clear on to delay the move to ISO chips for another ten years.

This may possibly be due to the equipment 'tail.' There are a lot of readers out there for the existing chips which would not be able to read the ISO chips. A delay allows purchasers of the old equipment more time to upgrade to universal readers.

[DTrain]

This may possibly be due to the equipment 'tail.' There are a lot of readers out there for the existing chips which would not be able to read the ISO chips. A delay allows purchasers of the old equipment more time to upgrade to universal readers.

 

This is what makes this whole situation so silly. ISO is an international chip and can be read world wide. You are correct, the vast majority of readers in Canada and probably none in the U.S. can read an ISO chip. But this chip has been around for a long time just about everywhere else on the planet. Currently especially in the U.S. because very few chips are sold in Canada other than the current standard there are a number of chips but no cross-over reading services. It is good for the ISO folks that they intend to take over the planet but a world-wide chip would have been a good starting place from the beginning. There is far too many services out there which means that your dog can be lost and found at one vet who can read the chip but at another vet they cannot. I would think instead of the 10 year delay that the U.S. would be moving as fast as they could to the ISO chip. Somebody stands to make huge bucks.

[DTrain]

I just ran into a website that can help explain the whole microchip issue. Go to www.doggienews.com. In the search function at the top right type in microchip and go down to the article called microchip wars.

[NCStarkey]

Hello everyone,

 

I recently had the opportunity to have my dogs "chipped" using the new AKC - CAR microchips, but after giving it a lot of thought, I decided against doing so. Now I fully understand the benefits of having my dogs identified with microchips should they ever become lost, but those benefits simply can not outweigh my aversion to supporting any program connected with the AKC. When a universally accepted program not affiliated with the AKC is available (using ISO chips?), then I will microchip my dogs. Until then, I will rely on tattoos for my dogs' permanent ID.

 

Regards,

nancy

[Tranquilis]

Well, traditionally in the US, such 'standards wars' are resolved in the marketplace. There really isn't anyone to stand up and say "Everyone march thata-way! ---> " Well, they can try, but then you get things like the ten year moritorium. Or the "metric conversion" which is some 35 years late, and still shows no signs of moving forwards. So, with ten years, to go, the ISO chip will have to thrash it out with the older chips, and people will make money indeed. Universal readers are actually not uncommon down here, but not everyone has them. Indeed, even after the ISO chip finally wins the day, the universal readers will be in demand for some time afterwards, until all the previously chipped dogs die off.

[border_collie_crazy]

yet anouther reason why I will continue to stick with my good old fashioned Tattoo's.

[Kelliwic Border Collies]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but don't you (the general you, not Sue or anyone specific) have like, YOUR phone number on your dog's tags or collar? What does it matter if the CAR tag has the wrong number? If the collar is lost, the person who finds your dog won't have the CAR number either, whether the CAR # is right or wrong, and it will be up to a vet or shelter with a chip reader to see if the dog has a chip anyway...right? Am I missing something obvious here? (I am sleepy posting just before bedtime, so I really might be missing something obvious!)

 

When a universally accepted program not affiliated with the AKC is available (using ISO chips?), then I will microchip my dogs.

 

Nancy (HI! ), you don't have to register your chip with CAR or any group affiliated with AKC; there are several chip registry services.

 

For those of you who prefer/trust more in the tattoo, what do you have tattooed? ABC 123456 or something? Curious what is both permanent, and easily identified by an average person.

[NCStarkey]

Hello everyone (and Hi Megan!!!),

 

Nancy (HI! ), you don't have to register your chip with CAR or any group affiliated with AKC; there are several chip registry services.

 

For those of you who prefer/trust more in the tattoo, what do you have tattooed? ABC 123456 or something? Curious what is both permanent, and easily identified by an average person.

 

It seems that currently the most widely used microchips are the AKC's CAR chips (the updated version of the Home Again chip), at least that is the case in this area. There are chips available from other companies, and my guardian dogs have been implanted with AVID chips. However, it seems that the AVID chips are not being as widely used as in the past, and I fear that they will soon become obsolete. So, I will hold off on chipping my dogs until a time when there is a widely used, non-AKC microchip program available.

 

Regarding my dogs' tattoos, I have my Social Security Number tattooed on their inner thigh. That number is unique to me and never changes, and my contact information can be obtained by authorized personal if needed (police, animal control, etc.). Also, if one of my dogs were stolen, the thief would be hard pressed to explain how my SSN was on a dog in their possession (which they were probably claiming to be their dog).

 

Regards,

nancy

[border_collie_crazy]

For those of you who prefer/trust more in the tattoo, what do you have tattooed? ABC 123456 or something? Curious what is both permanent, and easily identified by an average person.

 

you dont choose Tattoos here, the first letter corrolates to when they were tattoo'ed, the second is the letter code of the indivual vet, then it is numarical. all our tattoo's are centered to 1 system controled by the shelters. you dont have to do anything , you just say you want your dog tattooe'd and the vet will have it done, and all your info and the dogs info will go into a computer database run by the shelters. anything updated at your vets will automaticly update in the system. so you find a dog, they have a tattoo, call the shleter give them the tattoo and they can instantly bring up the dogs name, breed,age, medical history, vet, spay/neuter status,owner, owners address, owners phone number etc.. the only info they will actually give you is owners name and phone number lol, the rest is just there should it be required.

[airbear]

I have no idea if anyone can do anything with my dogs' tattoo info. Wick has some cryptic combination that our previous vet inscribed, and which my current vet cannot do anything with (I asked them if they knew how to find me using only her tattoo #). Lou's tattoo is the one required by the CBCA, which is the breeder's prefix, followed by some numbers. I would wager only another CBCA breeder would know how to decipher it. I figure the tattoos are there so I can prove ownership, not for return-to-sender. They have microchips which my current vet can read and which correspond to my contact info, but I don't know what would happen if my dogs went astray in the States. So I have their names and my cell phone #on their collars, on a tag on their collars, and I have my Lost Dog posters in my car at all times (with recent photos, contact info, etc.).

[3dogslater]

So I have their names and my cell phone #on their collars, on a tag on their collars, and I have my Lost Dog posters in my car at all times (with recent photos, contact info, etc.).

You'd think you'd lost a dog before

 

My dogs are tattooed, microchipped, licensed and have ID tags with two cel numbers. I figure between four forms of ID I should hopefully be able to get my dogs back.

 

The tattoos for the oldest three were done at the shelter and the company has since gone out of business, so I registered the chips with the company that took over the records. Hopefully whomever is reading the chip knows which company has which set of chips. The youngest's chip is through the rescue. IIR, if he's lost, they get called with my name as the secondary contact.

 

The tattoos were done at the vets. Belle's tattoo (12 years) is a smudge, the two middle dogs are clear and easy to read, and Zephyr's tattoo was illegible the day he came home. The tattoo was less than three weeks old and had already lost most of the numbers and letters. If he ever needs to go back under anesthetic, I'll have it redone. I'm relying on their tags with numbers to be the fastest way to get in touch with me if they are ever lost.

[border_collie_crazy]

oh wow, no wonder I always hear of people not being tattoo fans, I just always assumed Tattoo's worked everywhere they way they worked here lol

[Eileen Stein]

I had one of my dogs tattooed. The tattooing was done when she was less than six months old, and was still legible when she died at 12. (I think a lot depends on the skill of the tattooer, which can vary greatly.) It was high on the inner thigh and was done without anesthesia, and she showed no pain or discomfort while it was being done. The tattoo was my social security number plus "NDR" (indicating that the number was registered with the National Dog Registry, which had my contact information). The dog was never lost, so the effectiveness of the tattoo was never put to the test.

 

I have never had any of my other dogs permanently identified. Concern about the cancer risk has kept me from microchipping. (BTW, there is a lengthy FAQ about microchipping generally that contains, among many other things, information about the major organizations and types of chips used in dogs. It's written from an anti-chip perspective, but it's not at all wild-eyed and seems fair and balanced to me.) I also have personally known several cases where the microchip could not be found and read later, and that's out of a pretty small population of microchipped dogs I personally know about, so that's not particularly encouraging either. If I were going to use a form of permanent identification, I think I would go with the tattoo.

 

3dogslater, when you said, "The tattoos for the oldest three were done at the shelter," did you mean, "The microchips for the oldest three . . ." ?

[juliepoudrier]

Mine are tattooed with my SSN, although I've been told I can't be easily tracked that way, but it makes sense that the police or someone similar could manage it. As I've stated before, my feeling is that a tattoo would help prevent a dog of mine from being sold into research amd as someone else stated, it would make it difficult for someone else to claim ownership of a dog with my SSN marked prominently. Maybe they could steal my identity, but they couldn't steal my dog! Mine also have microchips, all registered with either CAR or AKC (as much as that makes me want to vomit), can't remember which, and all wear collars with a nameplate that states "Reward" and has my name and cell phone number.

 

As for the tattoos, they were done by a well-known couple out of VA, without anesthesia (and even Snarley Farleigh didn't react) and are all still readable, the oldest tattoo being around 6 years. One tattoo had a last number that was not as readable as I would have liked, and the next time I caught up with the Mantlos, they redid that one for free (the one number, mainly for my peace of mind).

 

I also travel with pictures of my dogs so that I can easily make "lost dog" posters if the worst should happen on the road.

 

Had I made myself more aware of the cancer risk beforehand, I probably would not have chipped everyone, which I did when I had to take a trip and the dogs were going to be in the care of someone else....

 

J.

[Shoofly]

I have my dogs' ABCA numbers tattooed on them - it would read "ABC12345" - in hopes someone could figure out it's a registration number and track me down. I tried SSN and even driver's license number before i hit on this scheme.

[Journey]

I have my dogs' ABCA numbers tattooed on them - it would read "ABC12345" - in hopes someone could figure out it's a registration number and track me down. I tried SSN and even driver's license number before i hit on this scheme.

 

Now, I like this idea! It absolutely "identifies" the dog if whomever tacks it to the ABCA registry.

 

I have mine chipped, though I didn't register them. My vet said that should something happen the company would call him as the chip was sold to him.