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Finding Fido - Technology
to the Rescue

What happens if one morning you open your front door to retrieve the newspaper and Fido dashes through the door in pursuit of a squirrel, or cyclist, or even a butterfly?

What if you're out walking and a loud noise scares him so badly, he takes off.

Could you get him back?

Of course, many cities and states require that dogs have a tag or collar with contact information (I use a collar with my dog's name and my cell phone).

Even if Fido has a license and tags, he may not always wear his collar, he may lose it or thieves may deliberately remove his collar.

What then?

If you're among the most technologically advanced, Fido and you have a back-up position - a microchip.

What a microchip is and how it's installed

It's an inert electronic transponder, the size of a grain of rice.

A veterinarian can easily implant it, usually in the scruff of the neck (the loose skin between the shoulder blades). Veterinarian fees tpyically range from $30 to $70.

Once inserted, it can only be removed surgically. Being under the skin, it is safe from weather, erosion, alternation and theft and cannot be seen by human eye. It has no battery and should last the life of your dog.

Animal shelters use microchips

More and more animal shelters are searching for microchips in the stray animals they take in and installing microchips in the animals they put up for adoption.

With a microchip in place, a handheld reader can be run over the dog's neck and an unique ID number identified. The ID number is called in to a national clearinghouse that provides 24-hour/7-day service and will identify the owner who then can be contacted.

That's why it's important to report your address or phone changes to the clearinghouse so its data is always current and accurate.

Because of the large population of unwanted dogs, most shelters cannot keep strays for long. In the city I live in, adult dogs are either adopted or destroyed after THREE days in the shelter.

There also are several clearinghouses for ID numbers. Your veterinarian will tell you which one he uses. Some clearinghouses charge a one-time fee and some charge an annual fee.

If your veterinarian doesn't have a recommendation, one option is to call your local animal shelter and see what they use.

Foreign travel with your dog requires a microchip

Many foreign countries require microchips if you want to take your dog with you as your travel.

Under the Pet Travel Scheme in the European Union countries as well as Japan, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, dogs must have a microchip to avoid quarantine and travel as freely between countries as their owners.

Even if you never plan to take Fido aboard, make sure your veterinarian uses an ISO (International Standards Organization) standard microchips (ISO 11784 or annex A ISO standard 11785). Just in case.

My recommendation for microchip and registration

I use the registration service through the American Kennel Club {http://www.akccar.org/products.cfm} which charges (at the time this is written) a $19.95 for lifetime enrollment. You do not have to be an AKC member to use this service.

Bottom line

There is no reason to hold back with microchips. It won't hurt Fido and if he's ever missing in action, it may save his life.

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