Should we  Microchip our dogs?                                                By Vicky Collins                 HOMEPAGE

Whatever dog we have pedigree or a mongrel we love them dearly, they are a member of our family and we have to consider the things that make them safe…..in today’s society unfortunately we have a rife trade in stolen   pedigree dogs , the price of puppies makes bitches extremely attractive to these thieves and it’s a horrible thought that your bitch may end up in a puppy farm situation.

 Dogs picked up by the   Dog Warden as strays very often have   a time limit to be claimed then   they are re-homed or worse still ‘put to sleep’  .

By having your pet micro-chipped you are taking a step to ensure for your dog’s life that it is identifiable.

In the past few animal shelters or wardens had the scanners to read these chips but now almost every vet, every dogs home and even some police stations have these so if you pet escapes accidentally you have a good chance of it being returned home.

If your dog is stolen there is a chance at some stage it will have to have veterinary treatment a suspicious vet can easily check the chip matches the ‘owners’   address…if the neighbours report a new dog that matches a stolen ones description it is easy to prove the dog is yours.

The procedure for chipping the dog is extremely simple and quick the longest part being filling in the paperwork, the tiny chip is the size of a grain of rice, the implant disposable needle is extremely sharp surgical steel   ,quickly entering the scruff over the shoulders, the dog rarely feels it and  its over in seconds, the operator then checks  with a scanner that its in place, and the job is done. Usually there is little or no bleeding and the dog doesn’t show signs of distress, the paperwork is sent off to a central   computer and is available to be accessed 24 hours ,7 days a week.

Most vet practices can do this procedure when the pup has its inoculations anytime from 6 weeks, many breeders of expensive pedigree dogs are having the whole litter done before sale, the chip number can then appear on the Kennel Club   documents  .

 When your dog is micro chipped you can also   take steps to take   your dog on holiday abroad to Europe, once the chip is in place the vet can give a Rabies injection , a month later he does a blood test to check immunity ,and then after 6 months more, a further check is done and all being well the Pet Passport can  be obtained. Its important to realise that the minimum time to obtain a passport is 7 months so forward planning   is required , there are designated ports of entry so when making travel plans check you can actually bring a pet in and out of your  port of departure .

 A word now  about the scare stories ..many people are wary of the micro chip thinking   they read how ,in the early days they migrated around the dogs body…most chip manufacturers have some form of collar on the chip to prevent any possibility of this  and I myself  have all my dogs  done and I confidently can reassure that I believe this to be a worry of the past .So that’s the case for chipping its up to you to decide if its  for you and your pet !!!