Havent been online for a while been real busy,but i just had to post about this.It was 5ish and i went to get petrol,somethin id normally leave until the morning but i just sorta drove that way.lol
anyways pulled out of the garage,and along the pavement trotting along was a dog,big dog so i pulled over.now this is typical of me i seem to attract strays and lost dogs,im not kidding i find at least 4 dogs a year,so for years now (lol) ive kept a spare lead and some treats in my car.....JUST incase...

gets out of the car calls what i can now see is a PUPPY dog de bordeaux.no collar and no one in sight ,ive got my hazzards on in traffic now beeping at me so the only thing i could do is put the puppy in my car and check her at home for a chip.

the hassel is unbeliveable.no microchip,no collar.....now what!
whao,so now im thinking god whos gonna let a puppy run loose without a collar.so i called all the vets ect left my name and number.
then worry kicks in.i thought what if some idiot calls who she dont belong to who has seen her walking along and thought ooh ill claim that!!!
so i called the dog warden....my god he was so rude...
he asked all my details address number ect.gave all that,then he says what breed is it.so i said well id rather not give that information as if someone calls me id like them to tell me the breed ....thing is round here there are so many dishonest people all sorts was going through my mind.
so he says well im coming to collect the dog to which i replied NO ill keep her here where she's happyily asleep and wont have to sleep in a kennel all night,he said if you do not hand me the dog its theft and i can have you arresred.so i said you can sling me in jail im not givin you a puppy when shes perfectly safe here......good lord the worry of it all.

luckily i used my brains and went round all the local parks to where i found her wandering,and saw a notice on the park entrance lost puppy ect ect....called the number in the morning nd the guy could not be more greatful

thing is he STILL refused a free microchipping!!!!!!

annoyed me somewhat but hey at least shes back with her owner.
how would you have felt?what would you have done in this situation????

Good for you in finding and catching her and standing your ground with the warden. I would have done the same thing. Stupid owner,fancy refusing to have his dog chipped.

Kind Regards

Humph! Well if the dog warden had taken it in, the guy would have been looking at one night's kenneling fee at the very least, plus the money to release it, and possibly a lot more coercion from the DW to have his dog chipped (at a fee of course). And probably a long lecture about the need for all dogs to have some kind of ID at all times. To refuse the offer of a free microchip seems ungrateful to me, especially as you caught the dog, took it home, fought off the dog warden single-handed, gave his dog free board and lodging, and went to a lot of effort to find its owner. Well done you! :)

I wonder what the law would say if you had chipped it without consent and gave him the chipped dog back, with chip details & paperwork, as a fait accompli? Interesting thought. Can dog wardens do that?

And on another tack, did he explain how it came to be wandering without ID in the first place? Perhaps he doesn't like it wearing a collar indoors, and it ran out of the front door - or slipped its collar in the park - but I am so paranoid of something like that happening to a dog of mine, I'd have made sure it was chipped and/or always wearing a collar with ID on.

I don't understand people, if either of mine got out or lost and someone took them to a safe place and looked after them I would be so grateful, probably end up on our Christmas card list!  But having been pinned up against a bank by a chap in his car and then verbally abused, after just catching his dog from running loose for the second time in a week I think I would now hold on to the dog till the warden could collect it. I just wish there were more people like you about.

> did he explain how it came to be wandering without ID in the first place?

he was out of the house and she got through the fence!!i did ask that but he sorta just laughed it off.
i had a phone call from the vet nurse who took my name and details that night and she said that he thought i ws crazy because i offered to microchip the dog for him.he had no idea that it was possible for anyone other than a vet to do.
i did explain im a dog groomer ect and that i have a certificate and insurance to do it but he still told the vet that he didnt think it was possible and that i was a bit clingy to the puppy.....well yes i was cos i wanted proof he owned the dog,but he hasnt seen the greatful side of that bit,nor the money ive saved him nor the stress the puppy would have gone through......

i get the last laugh tho cos i never done any of what i done for the owner i did it all for the pup!!i must admit tho i DID think id get a little thanks u know but hey ho cant please them all!!!!

when i followed the white gsd around desperate to catch her (another 11 month old pup)in the summer i got her home and the owners couldnt be more greatful.....just proves dont it we all are different.....

> when i followed the white gsd around desperate to catch her (another 11 month old pup)in the summer i got her home and the owners couldnt be more greatful.....just proves dont it we all are different.....

Sometimes the question is asked 'why don't people get involved and help someone, something, in distress or harm' well the answer could be because a lot of the time these days people just don't show their gratitude, or are grateful at all.

Apart from helping any animal out however, I doubt whether because of the attitude of some people whether I would go out of my way to help humans, unless it was extremely necessary.

There are probably a few reasons why an owner might not want their dog chipped: like not getting interrupted in what you are doing by a knock at the door from the police or dog warden--could be a big hassle for a local drug dealer :)

sorry if this sounds very cynical, but we have lots of people in this part of the world who keep big dogs for no other reason than to protect their "business." Tamara, you deserve a medal and the owner gets a flying kick in the pants from me. Poor dog.

The owner may sound like a bit of an irresponsible a***e and not be the best owner in the world and what you did in helping the puppy was great and wish there were a few more people like you around BUT finding the puppy does not give you the right say he should have the puppy chipped.  As a responsible owner I would have been more grateful than him if it had been my puppy you had returned to me but I too would have definately refused your offer of a free chip - nothing to do with 'drug dealing'  I just do not like the idea of putting a foreign body in any dog never mind a young puppy!  One of my last litter was chipped at a young age by his very responsible owner as advised by her vet but when he was castrated at 6 months oh surprise surprise the chip couldnt be found!!!!  I do not think dogs should be chipped at all but at least until they are fully grown as there seems the be a higher percentage of 'missing chips' when the pups are done before being fully grown.  I dont agree with chips but I do respect the choice of people who get them done so please respect the decision of people who choose not to.  No doubt the 'chipping brigade' will now come down on me like a tonne of bricks :)

I think in this case it wasn't neccessarily the turning down of the chipping as the main issue, but the lack of gratitude. :)

I know what you mean but the poster seemed very indignant that someone wouldnt possibly want their dog chipped :)

This is bad but this post has just reminded me that my GSD was chipped before I had him, and I haven't yet changed the address to mine, slapped wrist for me.

> I know what you mean but the poster seemed very indignant that someone wouldnt possibly want their dog chipped :-)

You know it never crossed my mind that someone might not want their dog chipped.
i just thought i was being helpful.thats all.....

You know you were being totaly helpful kiddo, but you will never please everyone. ;)

also,my dogs dont wear collars around the house but if they went walkies without me ...besides the fact there'd be a huge pack of 5 walking along the streets and people in my area know im the crazy dog lady who walks em all together lol.....theyre chipped..every last one of my dogs is sound with another sound dog and people they love so anyone picking up one of my dogs id be enternally greatful to, returning my babies is the idea of chipping.god i cant imagine what id do....

so for that reason i always chip,and i wont change my mind.
chips do sometimes migrate but thats mainly due to rubbing of the area too soon before its settled,and theres always a different story with everything isnt there.

i just worry about things and i suppose i wont settle for a while now....she'll just be on my mind its how i am i cant help it its a fault of mine :-(

You care about dogs that's why you worry, but the man probably loves his dog, some blokes just aren't like women really in mind I mean. Specially if he is of the older generation, spending money on dogs such as chipping for instance probably goes against his grain. Also I speak to some women at the park with their dogs, and they say if it was left to their hubby the dog would be let out in the garden and that would be it, as far as exercise would go. Also, I live around farms and I meet some farmers that treat their dogs completely different to you or eye, for instance they are pretty hard on their dogs correction wise, they don't put up with no messin, specially when the dog is young, just to teach them right from wrong. I think us girls are too soft at times, I know mine runs rings around me.lol

> You know it never crossed my mind that someone might not want their dog chipped.
> i just thought i was being helpful.thats all.....

If it wasn't for the pet Passport rules I would nto have any of mien chipped, they are all ear tattooed, my prefered method of ID.

I ought to think about getting my puppy chipped, as mine don't wear collars in the house either. Eat tattooing no use in my hair non trimmed breed!

I do wonder about tattoo's for a form of ID. How many people check for them? How many people know about them. What about dog wardens, anyone dealing with rescue dogs, how often do they check beyond a chip? Vets?

For me its the first thought and god forbid if I only ever got mine tattoo'd how long would it be before anyone checks? Chips are checked right away.

Its another thought, how effective are tattoo's??

I'm actually going on a micro-chipping course next month

Surely any dog picked up gets a basic health exam which usually includes looking in ears.

Of course mine all wear collars with tags at all times as the law demands this of any dog out in public, and yes I do have them chipped also, though would rather not.

Dog wardens certainly do look as a friend not long ago was alerted to a blue Merle collie (whose owners had been contacting the dogs home regularly, but they didn't know collies came that colour!!!), she had bred who had been in the dogs home for a while.  She had moved several times since she bred him, but the Dog Tattoo register traced her from a more recent dog she had tattooed.

The Beauty of the tattoo, is that even with a partial number humans will cross check any likely match, and follow up until they find it, (from a breeders point fo view they will always try and find you) a chip either reads or doesn't., the people who run the chip databases are nto dog people like the NDTR so do not go the extra mile with trying to trace..

> Eat tattooing no use in my hair non trimmed breed!

Surely though you keep the inside of the ear flaps clear of hair for ventilation?

As long as part of the number is visible in case of a lost dog the rest can be trimmed away to show the remaining part, though wetting with surgical spirit usually shows the number up even with hair..

> The Beauty of the tattoo, is that even with a partial number humans will cross check any likely match, and follow up until they find it, (from a breeders point fo view they will always try and find you) a chip either reads or doesn't., the people who run the chip databases are nto dog people like the NDTR so do not go the extra mile with trying to trace..

Thats interesting to know, but never seen anyone looking for a tattoo if they can't find a chip, maybe thats my ignorance then? It would be good it if was promoted better by vets and rescue places then, that way it would become more common practice

> Its another thought, how effective are tattoo's??
>
>

Only as good as the humans checking, all rescue personel shoudl be aware of teh NDTR, and chips are missed quite often with a cursory scan.

I know of a gent who got his dog back after 3 years.  His dog had strayed while a friend looked after it and wasn't found.  It seems he was homed by the dogs home (so they missed the chip, and chipped him again) and then he went walk about again and got picked up by dog warden who wanted to fine the guy, until they learnt the dog had gone AWOL 3 years earlier and presumed dead.

The poor dog has two chips and it just depends on which oen gets picked up by the scanner.

Nope, totally free from all trimming, the only bit you can touch is trimming under the pads to help with grip on the floor. None of my Cavaliers have ever had their ears touched, and none of them have ever had ear problems.

>Surely though you keep the inside of the ear flaps clear of hair for ventilation?

So is the inside of the ears hairy.  My grooming friend have always trimmed the inside of spaniels ears.

My GSD has an ear tattoo from the breeder and also a chip from me because the tattoo is so smudged I doubt if anyone could read it, it is just a blue/grey smudge

> the tattoo is so smudged I doubt if anyone could read it, it is just a blue/grey smudge

1 disadvantage to a tattoo there.

Then again I have a 13 year old and all my others with very good tattoos.

the only poor tattoo I ever had was from a different tattooist (mine moved but I still use her) who did not clip the fuzz from the ears.

Another reason for poor tattoos is if the ears are washed after tattooing.  The ink should be allowed to wear away on it's own.

If anyone looks at my website they can find pictures of numerous pups/adults where the tat is clear enough to read from the photo.

Hopefully all the tattooists now use the small callipers that give very clear tattoos as opposed to the old ones used years ago by the GSD people when it started which I admit were not good, as I had my first two done with those (1995 using green ink) one as an adult (OK) but the second done as a pup the tattoo dots spread too much to be absolutely sure of numbers (but legible enough. 

With the small callipers (as used in the Canadian ear tattooing ID system) using black ink the dots are so close together when the pups grows it looks like it is written not like dots at all.

Just curious, where is your (good) tatooist located?

South Wales, Mid. Glamorgan, Treochy, Anne Burridge 01443-772878

Just found that the NDTR have a video of the tattooing being done: http://www.dog-register.co.uk

Just thinking of another up side to tattoo's, is that they aren't so well known and some thieves will scan a dog and then cut out the chip, but won't always think of a tattoo... Hmmm.

Just checked register, none in my county at all, luckily there is someone I know of in another county which isn't too far away, so may pick her brains soon :-)

You could apply to do tattoos too.

My first GSD River 20 or so years ago had a green tattoo, wasn't the best.

Yes that would have been the old style callipers with the widely spaced dots.

Anything can happen to a dog, but all of my GSDs won't leave my side, they are right behind me all of the time. I can't visit the loo, he sits outside the shower unit, every morning waiting. Even on a walk he has to have vision on me. They have all been the same.

Anything can happen to a dog, but all of my GSDs won't leave my side

I know that feeling of having a shadow follow me everywhere, bless

It's not so funny though, 1 of these day's I'm gonna break me neck, falling over him. :)

Tee hee that's not most dogs though, my lot will make a note of where I am and unless I call them (this way they learn to touch base every so often) would happily mooch off about their own thing, until they wanted to go home.

This is why I have to be careful to know what lies ahead on walks and that they are safe as they range ahead and I need  time to recall.  They don't naturally do trotting at your side.

You can scoff Mrs. I'll swap you 1 for 1 for a week, see how you like a wet nose where it shouldn't be whilst drying ones self. ;)

You forget I have already lived with a dog who wanted to crawl into my skin, that's why I changed breeds, can't do that level of neediness.

Apart from anything else with my eye sight I was always tripping over her (she was black).

It may be a pain in some ways but give me my affectionate but self sufficient Grey bods.

see how you like a wet nose where it shouldn't be

and when walking, a muddy body sooo close that mud splatters reach up to your own backside, and paw prints all over your wellies and no matter how many times you push them a couple of feet away they still come back as if joined to you on elastic. Don't you just love them !!!

Wouldn't be able to loose 'm that's for sure. Iv'e tried hiding behind a tree no chance.

> Don't you just love them !!!

I couldn't cope with that level of exclusive attachment, so changed breeds from the shepherding breed that was my first dog.

this is why I am such a fan of pedigree breeds, they can be so different in their needs and drives that something will suit most kinds of people.

> I couldn't cope with that level of exclusive attachment, so changed breeds from the shepherding breed that was my first dog.

Ah well mine is one of them shepherding types and he's not as clingy as some. Rather like you describe your Elkhounds - around but not a shadow, and never an issue with being left home alone. But what that translates to, is that sometimes, if you do get a shepherding type which is a little more independent, it means they are bright enough to think they know better than you on occasions and do their own thing!

> it means they are bright enough to think they know better than you on occasions and do their own thing!

Yep that's the grey jobbies.