Please make sure your dogs have ID!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I've seen postings for 3 missing dogs in the past couple of weeks and in every single case these dogs were not wearing any ID with their family's contact information on it.

In one case the dog was not wearing a collar at all; in another the dog was only wearing a rabies tag; and the last only had a tag with the breeder she came from on it but not the family that has had her for the past *18 mos* - and that breeder is several hours away and in a different state from where this dog now lives.

People have put up flyers and Facebook posts about these dogs with contact numbers, but unless the person that finds them happens to see those (and hopefully they will all be found!!) that doesn't do anyone any good.

This has happened in the past with dogs adopted through our BC rescue group as well. In more than a few cases, families have left *our* tag on their dogs, but not put one of their own on them. That's all well and good, but as we're an all-volunteer organization, our 800# is not staffed 24/7. The best someone can do is leave a message. And while we take it in turn to monitor the messages as often as possible, we aren't able to do this every minute of the day, and it's entirely possible that the person that gets the message may have no idea what dog it is based solely on where the dog was found. In that case it then becomes a frantic game of trying to get in touch with other volunteers to ferret out what dog it is; dig up the information for their adopter; and try and get in touch with them.

The last time this happened, the dog had been adopted YEARS before and was now living several hours away from the last address we had on file. It took quite a bit of detective work to figure out what dog it was, and then a bunch of phone calls to track down the owners new location. If no one had been available that afternoon to do all of that, the dog probably would have landed in a shelter somewhere, as there were no rescue volunteers anywhere close by to go pick him up.

Prior to that, a former volunteer's dog was picked up wearing a BC rescue tag (this was not even one of our dogs) and it took us a while to even figure out whose dog it was. In that case, the person that found the dog was going to take her to a shelter if they weren't able to reach the owner quickly. They didn't have the ability (or inclination) to bring her home with them and the shelter they would have dumped her at was the Boston city shelter. (eek)

Then there was the case last summer where I picked up an old, mostly blind dog wandering on a busy street on my way home. He only had a rabies tag on him. It was almost 5:30 and I lucked out and managed to catch the

vet's office *just* before they closed.

The person on the phone dug through records and based on my description of the dog and where I found him, told me where he lived (thankfully not far from where I found him). But they also told me that in their case, they can't just lookup a rabies tag # and find the owner. She actually had to do some digging through their records based on where I found this dog. Had he been further from home, I'm not sure we'd have figured out where he belonged without me bringing him in and someone there hopefully recognizing him. Who knows if he was chipped, but I wouldn't have expected them to keep the office open late until I could have gotten there.

Lots of people are microchipping their dogs these days, which is great, but may not be enough. If your dog is only chipped, you're relying on the person that picks up your dog having the knowledge, ability and inclination to take your dog to a vet or shelter to get him/her scanned. If they don't do that, the chances of your dog being returned to you are slim. They may take him/her to a shelter, and sure the shelter will probably scan your dog for a chip, but if it's a big/busy shelter, who knows how quickly that will happen or how motivated they'll be to return your dog to you as quickly as possible. Personally I shudder to think of my dogs spending any time at all in a shelter - even though the ones around here are far better than some.

Please everyone - make sure that whenever your dog is not safely in your house, he/she has a tag with YOUR CURRENT CONTACT INFORMATION on it!

Dogs can go missing for LOTS of reasons - many you'd never think of. Make sure if your dog ends up in someone else's hands, then get back to yours as quickly as possible!

[Lou... 3,118]

Do you have a spy at my house Monique?

Yesterday morning, for some reason, Gail decided to call the company that issued Buddy's RFID tag, or what is normally called the microchip, to update the contact info associated with the chip.

We later went to the pet store and got him a nifty new tag for his collar.

In addition to putting his name and our phone number, we added the ID number of the chip, and the phone number for the microchip registry. That way even if they can't reach us, if whoever finds him isn't able to scan him, they'll still be able to get the ball rolling.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Great minds, Lou.... great minds....

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Another reason to make sure you always have ID on your dogs - because sometimes the unforeseen happens!!

From a post on FB...

"On Monday night around 7 my da...d was involved in a bad accident where he got struck on the side of his truck at a high rate of speed on middle road in Falmouth. He had both of our dogs kenneled and strapped down in the back of the truck but because of the impact of the other car the dogs got ejected. He was able to get one of them back but the other ran off. He's been searching for the last two days and hasn't been able to find her. This goes to mostly the people in the Falmouth, Cumberland, and Portland areas. She is a Chesapeake Bay retriever and goes by the name of Casco. She doesn't have any collar or identification around her neck. This dog is an important part of our family. "

[Discamper 394]

Both Rudy and Shelby get very upset if they don’t have their collars (w/id) on. When I take them off for a bath they will run back and bark at the counter wear I set it down. They think it there only worldly possessions.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Our Great Dane has two tags and a micro chip. One of the tags has the Rescue Information (it's required by the contract to keep it on.. I think) and was micro chipped by the rescue (with their data). He has a tag with our google and cell phone numbers as well. This way he's covered and with all our travels I feel more comfortable with the double coverage. Even if they call the rescue, we will still get him back!

[Discamper 394]

They are both micro chip I have their chip numbers in my phone and on their shot records that stay in the RV. Their tags haves thier Name address and phone number on it

[motherwild 1]

My dog has a collar with her name and my cell phone # embroidered on it . She also has tags with my and my husbands cell numbers. This came in handy ad on of our neighbors replaced his fence and took out one of the post from my fence. this was in a corner of the yard with a lot of bushes so we did see it and couldn't figure out how she was getting out. I had gotten a few calls. Glad she has her id\

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Since I originally posted this, I've gotten 3 or 4 more notices of dogs that have gone missing without any ID.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Just a reminder to all my dog owning friends out there to PLEASE make sure that your dogs have ID tags on them with YOUR contact information on it.

I know of yet another case (just tonight) of a dog that went walkies from his dog sitter while his family was on vacation 3 states away (not the first case I've heard this summer either). The dog was not wearing an ID tag with his owner's contact information on him.

Thankfully he ended up being found and brought home safely, but without proper ID, a wandering dog can end up dumped in a shelter ...or worse. It makes me crazy every time I see a "lost dog" posting somewhere and the description says that the dog wasn't wearing a collar or ID.

Please make sure if you're dog gets away from you, whoever finds him/her has the info they need to get in touch with you ASAP.

And don't ever underestimate the many ways this can happen, even if your dog isn't a runner. This was a friendly dog who wasn't necessarily spooked or frightened off. He was just in a strange place and with someone he didn't know super well and when he got a chance, he went exploring.

Goes to show you that you just never know...

[photogal06...Sommer 10]

Our dogs have Boomerang tags....best thing ever! They slide on the collar, so they don't hang or jingle, and the engraving doesn't wear off. We'd still be on our originals if we didn't keep changing phone numbers and having to update! One of our dogs was microchipped at the Humane Society where we adopted him, and their info is on the chip and they wouldn't let us change it. That bugs me to no end, because they are extremely disorganized and unprofessional, and I have great doubt that we'd get our dog back if they were contacted instead of us. I just hope that if he's ever lost, the finder will use the tag info and call us first!

[caveat lector 181]

Sign up for google voice. You get a phone number, then you can assign what numbers to ring. Bandit has my GV number on his tag. If someone calls it, I currently have it setup to ring my cell, work, and home at once. Plus, it is free

[photogal06...Sommer 10]

Sign up for google voice. You get a phone number, then you can assign what numbers to ring. Bandit has my GV number on his tag. If someone calls it, I currently have it setup to ring my cell, work, and home at once. Plus, it is free

How did I not know this? Thanks for the info!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

... One of our dogs was microchipped at the Humane Society where we adopted him, and their info is on the chip and they wouldn't let us change it.

What the Fort?? The point of chipping a dog is so that if they get lost the LEGAL OWNER can be contacted asap. As you said, what are the odds the shelter is going to quickly track you down if they ever get a call?

Our rescue group chips dogs too, but we always have the adopters change the contact information over.

Or at least we give them all the information and tell them to. Some people never do. (sigh)

Same with ID tags. We put ID tags on all our foster dogs with our 800# on them and tell new adopters to switch them over immediately to tags with THEIR contact information on them.

As it happens, the dog I mentioned above was one of those and the adopters did not put their own tag on the dog, and as a result we got a voice mail last night that a dog had been found with just our number on him.

Luckily we managed to rally the troops and figure out whose dog it was, but that's not easy when you place 50+ dogs a year all over New England.

Fortunately in the meantime the dog was found by a neighbor that recognized him, but still, it's not the first time we've gotten these calls. The kicker is that our 800# is not a 24/7 hotline. It's a voice mail system that's monitored by rotating volunteers. So definitely not the quickest way to get your dog back!

I think we're going to start telling adopters that if they don't show up to sign the paperwork with an ID tag in hand, they're not going to be able to take the dog home. (sigh)

[photogal06...Sommer 10]

What the Fort?? The point of chipping a dog is so that if they get lost the LEGAL OWNER can be contacted asap. As you said, what are the odds the shelter is going to quickly track you down if they ever get a call?

Our rescue group chips dogs too, but we always have the adopters change the contact information over.

Or at least we give them all the information and tell them to. Some people never do. (sigh)

Same with ID tags. We put ID tags on all our foster dogs with our 800# on them and tell new adopters to switch them over immediately to tags with THEIR contact information on them.

Yeah, the contract I signed with them said that the info on the chip is their info only and cannot be changed; I also agreed in this contract to put their info on his ID tag. The message I got from them verbally and via the contract is that even though I was paying for and adopting the dog, they (the HS) were to be the first emergency contact in all cases. This is the organization who called me a week after his adoption to follow up and see how he was doing. He wasn't doing well, but they didn't care. Then they called me a week after that for the same reason, because they had lost a bunch of paperwork and weren't sure whether we'd been called. We've worked with them a number of times on different things, and the right hand never knows what the left is doing......I'm quite sure that if someone called them with our dog, they'd lose the message and we'd never hear from them. Not to mention the fact that we've had him for 6 years....if they can't hold onto paperwork for a week, it's unlikely it'll be available in 6 years, lol!

As much as I'm a fan of rescues, the two we've worked with here have been horrible when it comes to administration and personal interaction. I've volunteered to help at the Humane Society many times, both in person and via email, and they never get back with me. Sorry for the hijack....it's just frustrating how inept these groups are here and how many more animals they could probably place if they'd get their act together and accept help when offered!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Honestly if it were me, I'd have him rechipped with my info. It won't hurt him and what are the odds that if they're this disorganized, they're even keeping up with the registry info for the chip or have used one that's widely scannable?

Used to be all the registries were free forever, but not any more. Also not all chips are scannable by the most popular scanners. There's one particular make (can't think of the name) that is a particular problem

As much as I'm a fan of rescues, the two we've worked with here have been horrible when it comes to administration and personal interaction. ....it's just frustrating how inept these groups are here and how many more animals they could probably place if they'd get their act together and accept help when offered!

Well I'm going to hop on your hijack - it's ok, this was my thread to begin with.

Sadly these days you have to go searching for a good, responsible, organized rescue or shelter... much the same way you'd have to do your homework for a good breeder.

Stories of mismanaged shelters are in the news all the time. Sometimes it's just a question of poor management and/or lack of funds and/or volunteers, but I've read a couple of stories recently of some pretty horrid stuff.

As for rescues... with the internet these days it's become far too easy for anyone to declare themselves a "rescue" and start yanking dogs from shelters with no real plan, no money, no support, and no clue how hard it is to really place dogs well and responsibly.

What makes me the most crazy is when I hear of these "rescues" who are adopting dogs out intact, often charging $300-$400 to boot! I don't understand how any shelter or rescue who exists because we have far too many unwanted animals, can put dogs out in the world that can be bred. :banghead:

These days best advice for finding a good rescue is pretty much the same as trying to find a good breeder...

- They want to know as much about you as you do about the dog (i.e., they're not just handing dogs out to anyone that shows up with a check). People sometimes complain our application and home visit are "too much" but our sole goal is to make sure that the dog you take home is the right dog for you. We can't do that if we don't know anything about you. And thanks to our home visit policy, we've caught situations where people looked terrific on paper, only to find out they lived in squalor with animals running loose and some pretty crazy ideas about how their dogs should be cared for.

- They have the dog in their possession for a sufficient amount of time that they actually KNOW something about the dog they're matching you up with. (i.e., they're not just a transport service for a dog they've never actually met)

- They will take the dog back if, for any reason, you're no longer able to care for the dog. Adoptions can fall through for all kinds of reasons (although most especially when dogs and adopters aren't vetted well) and the last thing you want is for a dog to have been pulled from one kill shelter, transported 1000 miles, only to land in another kill shelter because the rescue doesn't have a plan for being responsible for that dog once they've gone out the door.

- They are properly vetting the dogs before adoption, including spay/neuter in dogs that are old enough (and solid spay/neuter contracts and deposite if they're too young that they ENFORCE)

I could go on and on (and on and on) but I'll get off my soap box now before someone throws a butterfly net over my head...

:soapbox:

[Andrew Roberts 17]

I'm a Firefighter in Indiana. About a month ago we had a Roll Over Crash on the Indiana toll road I 80 90. During the crash there 1 year old german shepard was thrown from the car. Two days later the dog was found five miles down the road. He got scared and ran from the crash. He had all his tags and Id s. Once he was found it was less then an hour later that the dog and owner were reunited at the hospital. The owners were from Pa with out the tags he would have never gotten that dog back. It is also a great thing to keep there Ids on your pets all the time even at night and in the car when your traveling. The Dog was uninjured his owner was hurt. The dog was most likely asleep at the time of the crash because his owner the driver was to.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Really glad to hear this had a happy ending and another real life reminder of why this is so important! It was incredibly lucky that dog was ok. I know of other cases of dogs being ejected from the car that didn't end so well. There was one this summer in AZ where a person fell asleep at the wheel, rolled her vehicle and 2 of her dogs were killed - one instantly in the accident and another when he was ejected from the car and ran into traffic. A 3rd dog was ejected as well and found roaming in the desert a day later (he was ok).

You didn't mention if the dog was restrained or loose in the car, but for another real life example of why THAT is so important, please check out this thread...

http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/2921-the-importance-of-seat-belts-and-safely-securing-your-dogs/page__st__60__hl__+crash%20+camper#entry68164

[freshlybarked 4]

Just in case it wasn't said, the phone number is great, but I put my cell phone number on just in case the dogs get lost when we are traveling. That way you can always be reached.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Absolutely. In fact, since these days it's rare I'm without my cell and we are in the car a LOT, I only put our cell #s on the dog's tags.

Back before we changed out all our tags, we had an extra set of tags we'd put on the dog's harnesses when we were at the Fort that said "I'm on vacation at Disney" and had our cell # on it.

Yep... my dogs had vacation tags.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Ooh - another good one for you travelers...

Since our accident (when we were left scrambling to find leashes on the side of the highway to get the dogs safely out of the car) all the dogs now travel in their crates with leashes clipped to their harnesses. (NOT their collars, as that could be dangerous)

As an extra precaution, I bought fairly inexpensive but sturdy, nylon leashes for this purpose in bright neon colors and on each one I wrote our last name and cell phone number in sharpie. That way if for any reason one of the dogs was frightened/traumatized and not so keen on letting someone grab at their necks to read tags, all someone would need to do is grab the end of the leash and the phone # would be right there.

Also keeps people from snagging your leashes by accident at the dog park.

[Andrew Roberts 17]

The Dog were not restrained in the Crash. And My Dog Jack has two Id's on him one is his Info the Other Tag is My info

[PJ 2]

Now that we are full-time RV-ers, in addition to both of our Cell numbers their engraved tags also describe our motor home.....

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Good thinking!

[mgsmom 9]

Bob used to lose his dangly tag with our info ALL the time. On occasion, he would get out of the yard (thanks to careless service people leaving gates open). One time, we hadn't yet realized he had lost his tag. Luckily, we live in a very close knit neighborhood and lots of friendly dogs here. We found a neighbor sitting with him in her driveway (quite some time and heart palpitations later). He had lost the dangly tag AGAIN. Thank heavens for his friendly nature and affection for women. :heartsmiley:

Went to pet store and discovered metal tags that you hammer directly into the collar - no more falling off! Plus, we could get a bigger one to fit more "stuff" on. I did have to make sure and get him a bright color collar so the black tag would stand out and not be missed. We also made sure to put it on the side that always landed "up" on the back of his neck. Funny how that rabies tag never fell off, though...