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Have you checked your dog's ID tags lately?
As a dog rescue volunteer I've often been frustrated by knowing that a dog must belong to someone, and being helpless to find out who. Some dogs had collars, but no tags. Others had no collars at all.
The only thing worse than that is a collar that's been on too long - and is imbedded into the dog's neck. We have had dogs who required surgery to remove their collars. A very sad and senseless condition.
An alternative to collars is microchipping, and there is no doubt that it is a wonderful tool for keeping your dog safe, because unlike a collar, the chip won't get lost. However, depending on where you live, it might not be effective. Not all shelters or veterinary offices check for microchips.
In our part of the country, microchipping has not yet become common, but our rescue did buy a wand so we could check for chips.
On one of the few occasions when we found one, it didn't lead us to the dog's owner. It seems the person who originally registered the chip gave the dog away a few years ago. We were all so excited when we thought we were going to get that dog back to her family - when we learned the truth we were mightily disappointed.
So - if you adopt a dog, be sure to ask if it has a chip, and if so, get the registration transferred to your name. Also - if you move, be sure to update the information with the chip registry.
Since microchipping hasn't caught on everywhere in our community, I check my dogs' tags often to make sure they're attached and legible. And the other day I found that one of my dogs was missing a tag, while the tag on another is about to break. Can you believe, that little guy wiggles so much that the eye on his brass dog tag is almost worn out!
This time I decided to do something different for identification. I went to the Petsmart website and ordered new dog collars with my dogs' names and my phone number embroidered into the collars themselves. I don't expect to lose my dogs, but since they are all precious, I don't want to take any chances.
I think my crew is going to be pleased with their new clothes. They always seem to appreciate new collars, and this time they're even personalized.
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