Tags, Tattoos and Micro-Chips

Some form of pet identification is a necessity these days due to licensing needs, laws and bylaws across the United States and Canada – but it is also a way to protect yourself from ever losing your dog permanently. Licensing originally began as a way to reduce the numbers of the stray dog menaces in city streets and packs of first and second generation feral dogs in rural and country areas. Today it is a widely accepted way to ensure your pet is returned to you as well as keeping your assets covered from fines and private citizens looking for someone, just anyone, to sue for any reason imaginable.

Dog identification may be a required, registered, annual rabies tag and/or a microchip implant into your dog’s skin. The municipal license tags, rabies tags, and others contain a registration number, your phone number, the local animal authority phone numbers or any other form of identification. This way, if anyone finds your dog by chance they will become able to report the dog’s location to you or the authorities, making retrieval of your family pet easier.

Both plastic and metal pet i.d. are available in multiple colors and finishes. Some are reflective, others glow in the dark. These should contain the dog’s name as well as the owner’s name. They’re also inexpensive and often come with free engraving thanks to the changes in technology in the last 10 years. I can remember having to send away for tags and waiting 10-14 days for it to arrive in the mail at a nearly prohibitive cost.

Now you can walk into any pet store and have them made on the spot for just a few dollars. Safety from loss or theft - kisses from your puppy as thanks.

As an added precaution you may choose to have your dog micro-chipped. Smaller, backyard breeders are doing this without added fee to the new dog owners as they ‘chip’ the puppies at a young age. The new owner simply needs to keep up registration with the licensing agent and is another effective way of retrieving your dog should he ever become lost or stolen.

Chips can only be read by special machines, now found at the veterinarian’s office and most animal control units. They are embedded just under the dog’s hide around the neck area or directly into the ear. These chips are very, very small and do not bother the dog after the initial shock – no different than a vaccination needle on the pain factor.

Micro-chipping is similar to the more traditional tatooing of dogs in the past, but tatooing has short-comings. First off, it seems a lot more painful for a puppy. Secondly, as the puppy grows the tatoo becomes disfigured or faded and may not serve any purpose at all. Third, usually only purebred puppies are tatooed – microchips on the other hand, can be inserted into any dog of any age.

Avid Bulk Microchip for Dog/Cat w Prepaid Registration