With my rescue hat on...

All the dogs I rehome are microchipped with Avid because they allow dual registration. This gives us a bit of a safety net should the dog go missing or is passed on without us knowing etc. I understand many breeders also use Avid for this reason. In fact, as many rescues do, we remain the legal owner of the dog and adopters sign a contract committing to returning the dog to us should they no longer be able to keep him/her.  But this week we've been the victim of a loophole in the system.

Avid, like Petlog and I think Identichip too, allow rescues to re-register chips to a new owner. All that they ask is for the details of the dog/new owner on headed paper. This works well most of the time. But this week, we were tipped off that a home I had rehomed a 17-wk-old lab/pointer x boy to in July had passed the dog on, less than two months after taking him on. This is someone who has worked as a behaviourist for another rescue, who drove all the way from Norfolk to Wiltshire to meet the dog; who was given an impeccable reference from another good rescue and who flew a homecheck.  I called the home who admitted they had got rid of the dog - and then, to my horror, they told me they hadn't kept the details of who had taken him.

Anyway, as luck would have it, the new owners had updated his microchip details so I was able to track them down. But they are NOT the people the first home gave him to. Turns out that our boy had lasted all of 10 days in that home - and had then been handed in to Faith Rescue in Norfolk, apparently because their children were allergic to him...

Faith Rescue scanned him, but didn't bother to check the microchip details. They simply used their rescue status to re-register him to the new home they found for him.  I have complained, but their defence was: "We can get up to six dogs a day handed in here... We can't check them all."  Worse still, in re-registering him, our dual registration was removed. In other words we would NOT be alerted in future if he was found as a stray.

I have complained to Avid very strongly. Even more strongly when they told me that they could only add our name back on if the new owner gives permission!  They have agreed to review the situation (and I have today contacted Petlog, too, as although they don't have dual registration, the problem still applies because they too allow a rescue to re-register a dog to a new owner, no questions asked.)

Have checked with dog-lawyer Trevor Cooper today. There's no doubt that the dog remains ours. Fortunately, the home that now has him IS a good one, but the whole story is extremely upsetting. Worse, when this new home got him, they said he was "totally emaciated".

So... this is a heads-up to anyone who has their dogs dual-registered with Avid that they will drop off the system if the person they sold the dog to hands him in to a rescue and the rescue re-registers the new owner without checking the original details and making contact.

I will try to get this changed. Will update if I have any success.

Jemima

Which is why the microchip isn't the the 'wonder id' method......
It proves that even if you are 'responsible' and microchip your dog if it goes into some
rescues they will just re-register the dog and don't check the details anyway!
So you could have the dogs owners looking for their dog that has been lost or stolen
and a rescue has rehomed it without even bothering to check!

It seems that more legislation is needed to make sure things like this cannot happen
BEFORE they change legislation to make it the only ID method for 'registering' your dogs.
But then microchip in the eyes of the law doesn't prove ownership of said dog.
Only a visable id does = tattoo. This legislation will need to be changed too if they
want to sort this out by allowing both methods to identify owner.

My dogs are all tattooed, when I have had pups they are tattooed too.
I stay on the tattoo register for each dog I have bred regardless of who they are owned by.
That way if there is a problem the tattoo register will flag with me also.
I only have my youngest two microchipped.

> "We can get up to six dogs a day handed in here... We can't check them all." 

So anyone can hand your dog in, say if they pinched it, and you've lost it because they just don't care.  This is what annoys about some rescues, they give the good ones the same bad reputation.

It doesn't help all those rescue dogs that this could potentially happen to.  people can dupe the rescue and pass dogs on.

Good luck getting it changed, I think Avid should have contacted you as the dog appeared in another rescue centre and very quickly.  Why are we giving them a service if they don't care.  the rescue centre should have their fingers rapped.

"We can get up to six dogs a day handed in here... We can't check them all."

This is an absolute disgrace!!!

What a waste of time and money getting a dog microchipped if this is what happens.   Even if it is only a few take this attitude, it's still a disgrace.   There would be no need to rehome a dog if the owners are looking for it desperately, just a call to them would get the dog home - where it belongs.

But hey, this doesn't make any money for the rescue does it?  Far more lucrative to rehome the dog with a new owner who pays for the dog

Surely this would be misrepresentation and fraud if the rescue are passing found dogs as rescues when they actually could contact the owners to collect them?

This has just convinced me to stay with Tattoos - at least they can't be changed willy nilly by rescues.

> This has just convinced me to stay with Tattoos

This has convinced me to also have them done too.. I know a lovely lady who does them... Not saying micro chipping is not good to have also, on top of... I think they can work very well side by side.

Is it painful for the dogs when they have a tattoo? 

No more so than being microchipped. The adult I had tattooed wagged her tail all the time!

Thanks for that JG, what is on the tattoo is it a number like the microchip ?

Numbers and letters; they're all done at the same time, not individually.

Six dogs a day, it only takes a couple of minutes per dog to check the details. 

Feel sorry for those like me who have their dogs stolen from inside a locked house who don't get their dogs back.  Luckily my girl survived outside for 2 weeks and found her way back to my parents.  Hate to think now what would of happened to her if she'd been picked up by a rescue. 

OK will ask now. After google did not give me an answer. Where are they tatooed is there a standard place.
I am thinking ears but I am shuddering at what could occur!

Yes, the inside of the ear flap. It's done with a caliper (not drawn with a needle like with human tattoos) where the entire ID number is pressed onto the inky ear for about 5 seconds, only just breaking the surface of the skin, not deeply enough to bleed (did you have the skin test before your BCG vaccination at school? It's similar to that), then more ink wiped over.

Job done.

can i ask if the ear tattoo's alter the lay of ear in breeds such as labs or generally breeds with lop/dropped ears ?

Not at all. This dog was tattooed in his ear as a puppy, and his ear carriage was perfect.

excellent thank you - definately something to think about , belt and braces and all that :)

I understand the benefits of tattooing but if a rescue can't be bothered to get in contact with those registered as owners with the microchip company are they going to do it because the dog has a tattoo? Surely they had to get in contact with the correct microchip company to change the details anyway, so I can't understand why they can't be bothered to contact the owner. As for not keeping records of where the dog was rehomed, do rescues, charities have to keep basic records of dogs coming in & out?

> Which is why the microchip isn't the the 'wonder id' method......

Totally agree. Not only do some rescues not check ID, but if they do they can still use this 'loophole' which has been known about for a very long time, there was a story in the national papers recently about this.

The bottom line is that the micro-chip companies are in it for the money not the dogs and their owners, if they really cared they would close this loop hole and finally tackle the issues of micro-chips migrating/failing and even going missing. They would take seriously the worries of owners who are unhappy implanting a foreign body into their dog and reply to those whose dogs have developed tumours at the site of the implant. Sorry to say it but the truth really is the micro-chip companies do not really give damn except for the money the chips generate for them!

|To true they didn't give a shoot when I told them that Lana's chip couldn't be found anywhere!

But hey, this doesn't make any money for the rescue does it?  Far more lucrative to rehome the dog with a new owner who pays for the dog

Don't actually think they made much money out of this dog - they charged £120 for him but he they did neuter him - something else I was cross about as he was only six months old - we prefer dogs to be neutered later (and. obviously,  we check to make sure it has been done).

I have had a fantastic response from Petlog today who will be introducing dual registration for breeders/welfare organisation from March 2011 (but available now to those who ask for it) AND who are putting a process in place that should stop someting like the above happening. There will be a bit more paperwork for the rescues to do, but I am more than happy with that.

Will try to push Avid into doing the same. And if not, will transfer our chipping to Petlog.

Jemima

The adult I had tattooed wagged her tail all the time!

My GSD has a chip ( my choice) and a tattoo in her ear that was done by the breeder before I collected her. All her life she hates anyone touching the ear with the tattoo. The left ear I can clean and check easily but the right ( tattooed) ear is a nightmare, she shakes and trembles, squeals and runs for the corner and this is just because I have a piece of cotton wool in my hand and am heading round to the right side and haven't even touched her yet. I have tried treats, gentle talking and anything else I can think of ( except force), but to no avail. I am sure the experience of having the tattoo has lived with her all her life, maybe she was held down as a pup and she has bad memories.

I've had dogs done as adults and as pups before they've left me.

None have been head shy, infact they quite like the massaging to their ears, both of them.
Neither do they shrink away from the judge when they are assessed in the show ring.
They visited the vets the day after being done and none were headshy or had sensitive ears.

>I am sure the experience of having the tattoo has lived with her all her life, maybe she was held down as a pup and she has bad memories.

Or maybe she had an ear infection as a puppy before you got her, or had her ear bitten in play by a sibling?

I'm confused, I didn't think a microchip constituted legal ownership of a dog? 

And, what about health tests, for those switching to tatooes, some health tests require a microchip number now don't they? 

None of my pups or adults have ever made a fuss about having a tattoo, they don't seem to notice :)   Nor have they been sensitive about their ears afterwards.   I have had the same pups cry when vaccinated though

Regarding rescues rehoming dogs without checking that their owners aren't looking for them, wouldn't that count as THEFT? 

Surely rescues have a duty to only rehome genuinely homeless dogs and should have to make every effort to find the owners if the dog is chipped or tattooed?  

Otherwise they are little more than dealers

I had both of mine tattooed as adults, my eldest was fine about it, the younger one (only by 6 months) screamed his head off and was still whimpering when they were rubbing the ink in afterwards .... he is a bit of a wuss though anyway, he has been fine since, not head shy at all.

My Golden is chipped and tattooed. The tattoo was done by her breeder because, as a KCAB, she had to permanently identify the puppies. Tattooing would not be my choice as my adult Newfoundland & Bernese had tattoos that could not be read. The Golden's is more visible as her pigment is paler but my friend works as a vet nurse and says that if a stray is brought in to the practice, they scan BUT NEVER EVEN THINK OF CHECKING FOR A TATTOO. If this is common practise, it totally negates the usefulness of a tattoo.

But then as above if rescues aren't checking for microchips..
Then they are also negated.

So damned what ever method you prefer it seems

Just been reading the sad story of a GSD that was killed by a car last Friday night. He was kept at the police station over the weekend and disposed of Monday morning. The owners had phoned several times but not been informed and had been out searching day and night in the freezing conditions in Scotland. He was tattooed but not chipped. Whether they scanned him who knows.

You don't mean Nandor do you? Just found out it was. How awful for the owners searching all that time when he was already dead!!

who will tattoo the dogs, I phoned our vets and they don't do it, the receptionist hadn't heard about it and couldn't advise me where to have it done?

That is sad that they don't even know.

You can have it donw through The National Dg Tattoo Register by the network of tattoists, (who if you have a litter will come to your home to do it http://www.dog-register.co.uk/

I would suggest you give them the name and address of yoru Vets so that they can send them information so they can no longer be ignorant of a National Pet Identification re-unification database.

Thanks Barbara.   I was a bit surprised as the vets we use are quite a large group of practices in the area.

I don't have a litter just my 2 dogs so will contact them in the new year and get them done!