Dogs are part of the family, loyal companions, and the best friends for many people. Unfortunately, instances of owners abandoning their dogs, breeders producing puppies in inhumane conditions like mass production, and dogs from abroad bringing severe diseases into the country are not uncommon. The cause is often untraceable. That’s why it’s important to chip and register your dog. Find out everything you need to know about chipping your dog here.
What Is a Chip in Dogs?
A dog chip is necessary for uniquely identifying the animal. It is a tiny transponder implanted under the dog’s skin by the veterinarian.
Many people, out of fear of harming their dogs with a chip, prefer to tattoo their pets instead. However, this is not recommended. Unlike tattoos, chips last a lifetime, while tattoos on animals fade over time. Address tags on the collar are also a popular way to identify animals with their owners. Still, these tags can be easily lost, a risk that doesn’t exist with a chip.
A chip stores a unique number, and this microchip number can be read anytime with a special reader. This ensures that missing animals can quickly be reunited with their owners. This number can be noted in a corresponding pet registry along with information about the animal and its owner. It is crucial to register in a database for the chip to be suitable for reuniting. The data on the chip should be regularly updated. The usually 15-digit number can help find missing animals and is mandatory in many regions. Currently, mandatory registration in a pet register is not required in the US.
Why Should You Chip Your Dog?
Illegal puppy trading is one of the largest black markets in the US. Puppies are “produced” en masse abroad and then transported and sold throughout the United States of America. Animal welfare is the last concern. This problem has grown with online trading. It is often challenging to trace where the new puppy comes from and under what conditions it was raised online.
The puppies are usually separated from their mothers too early, undergo exhausting transports, and are often severely ill due to the lack of medical care or vaccinations. Occasionally, they even bring diseases such as the dangerous and highly contagious distemper, parvovirus, or even rabies. Most of these dogs have no identification or vaccination documents. Impulse purchases and lack of traceability make it easy for scammers. A dog chip can store many important pieces of information.
The cost of chipping your dog is around $40–$60. The dog doesn’t feel the chip later, whether it’s a small or large dog.
The Procedure for Chipping a Dog
The dog chip is approximately 12 x 2 mm in size. The procedure for chipping dogs is usually performed without anesthesia, similar to cats. The treating veterinarian inserts the chip with a needle at the back of the animal, above the shoulder, under the fur and into the tissue. The chip typically remains there for the rest of the dog’s life, rarely migrating further under the skin. For the animal, chipping feels like a vaccination and does not cause severe pain.
After inserting the chip, the dog owner must register themselves and their dog. The chip code alone is “worthless” until the data is secured in a corresponding database. In the US, registration is possible through the “Free Pet Chip Registry“. The owner is responsible for transmitting the data to a database.
Tip
Your microchipping company should register your dog, but as an extra step, you should enter your dog’s unique identifier number in the free pet registry.
Security: Identifying Illegal Dealers
The business of illegal puppy trading is booming. Dogs are purchased for $50 and then sold and bred for over $1,000. Some dealers go to the extent of posing as reputable private breeders and renting properties to deceive their customers. Especially in online trading, it is often challenging for consumers to trace the origin of a dog. It is explicitly warned against buying a dog out of pity, as it fuels unscrupulous trade. Mandatory chipping and registration can counteract this problem.
Not only is chipping and registering intended to help find your beloved pet at any time, but the data can also strengthen legitimate trade and put an end to the black market trade.
The FOUR PAWS Model Solution
To prevent unscrupulous trade and the black market for dogs, companies collaborate with FOUR PAWS to implement a pioneering project. The project is a model solution for complete traceability of worldwide online puppy trading. For this project, FOUR PAWS collaborates with K&R Databases—marking and registering dogs, classified ad platforms, and national governments.
Another opportunity for the model is the EU Animal Health Law. The Animal Health Law is a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the field of animal health. It states that dog traders and breeders must centrally register their businesses. The chip and registration are intended to enable better controls in online trading and traceability of sold animals and their sellers.
Benefits:
- Protecting the population from zoonoses such as rabies
- Prevention of bio-crime between member states
- Authorities have the ability to trace the origin of sick animals that pose a threat to public health
- Authorities have the ability to identify actors involved in fraudulent activities
- Increased tax revenues for governments due to the identification of commercial sellers
- Illegal puppy dealers are excluded from the market
- Protecting consumers from buying illegally imported and potentially sick dogs
- Protecting responsible breeders from unfair competition
The EU regulation requires all collection points, such as animal shelters, breeders, and commercial sellers of dogs, cats, and ferrets, to register their businesses in a national database. Each business is then assigned an individual registration number.
The process of an online dog sale according to the FOUR PAWS model solution is simple:
- Breeders and commercial sellers are obliged to register their businesses in the national business registration database.
- The business registration database creates a unique registration number for each business.
- Private owners are required to register themselves and their pets in a K&R database.
- The breeder/initial owner takes the puppy to the veterinarian for chipping.
- The veterinarian implants a transponder with a unique microchip number.
- The veterinarian and breeder/initial owner are noted in the K&R database. The business registration number is also noted if the owner is a commercial seller.
- All subsequent owners/animal shelters/sellers are also entered here.
- An international interface, e.g., Europetnet, can access the data in the K&R database. The microchip number, a simple identity check for private sellers (ideally using a PIN provided by the K&R database owner), and the business registration number for commercial sellers must be provided when listing online before the ad goes live.
- The data is sent to Europetnet, where the verification takes place automatically.
- After successful verification, the ad is then activated; otherwise, the ad is deleted.
- The sale can be completed.
This process aims to identify and exclude unscrupulous providers from the market in the long term. Authorities receive reliable data about sellers in case of post-purchase problems and potential fraud cases, allowing them to take legal action. To make dog buying and selling sustainably safer and benefit the well-being of dogs, regulation of online trading is urgently needed. Chipping a dog does not hurt the dog. In the event of loss, only the prior registration of the chip number helps. The process helps the animal and the owner to be happy together in the long run.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of microchipping a dog?
The cost typically ranges around $50, depending on your location. Some areas offer low-cost microchipping services through municipal programs or larger pet stores.
How can you locate a dog with a microchip?
It’s important to note that microchips are not GPS locators, and you cannot actively track your dog using a microchip. Instead, a microchip serves to identify your pet in case it becomes lost. When a stray dog (or cat) is found, the first step for shelters or veterinary hospitals is to scan for a microchip. The microchip is linked to a company containing all the owner’s information, facilitating the reunion of the lost pet with its owners.
Is it possible to deactivate a dog’s microchip?
While there might be rare cases where deactivating a pet’s microchip is considered, it’s generally not recommended. However, if you have a specific reason to deactivate the microchip, you can contact the company responsible for the microchip’s information and request deactivation.
