Tattoos, Microchips... What's the best?

Houses have been getting broken into, in the neighborhood where I live. I moved out of the getto to escape this bullsh!t and now it's happening in the quiet, rural burg where I've moved.

I don't know how often a dog is stolen out of a house by burglars, however, knowing what I do about your run-of-the-mill drug addicts and thugs, a pit bull might be a money-maker for several reasons.

So, I wanted to ask you guys what your preferred methods of dog identification (above and beyond id tags on the collar) were. I know of a lady who'll tattoo your name, your dogs name, and other info. on the inside of one of your dogs rear thighs, and then there's the microchip(s)... I'm unfamiliar with the pro's and con's of each one, and I've heard that in the case of APBT's and bullies, most of the time AC won't even bother to check a pit bull type dog for that stuff, when found; they just take them to the shelter and put them to sleep. How true that is, I don't know...

I don't keep her outside, and when we're not home she stays in our guest room and there's always two locked, dead-bolted doors, between the inside and the outside. And I don't sleep with a loaded shotgun by my bed because I like night-time visitors, LOL ... On vacation, the dog always comes along.

She's never left at home alone for long periods of time, but when I learned of all the burglaries (5 in the last 4 weeks), I got concerned. Didn't want her to get lifted in the even of a break-in, and be found a short time later without reliable identification.

So, what do you guys prefer for your dogs?

 

You shouldn't be shocked about the break-ins in the nicer neighborhoods, poor people don't usually steal from other poor people, they go to the better neighborhoods to do their looting........
Either method is only good if the dog finds his way to a shelter. Last I knew, the microchip is really only good if the dog ends up in a shelter or a Vets office (and only if they have the wand to identify the chip) But if you think someone has your dog and you know where they live you could probally have the dog in question checked for which ever one you went with as proof of ownership. Tatooing is a good choice, but again, is only going to help if someone finds the dog and turns it over to the Humane Society or shelter ( that is if they even bother to check the dog for a microchip). I think good locks on your doors and windows is the best way to go as far as worring about someone stealing your dog. A thief is going to get whats yours regardless of what you do, if they want it bad enough.

 

i use Home Again chips, have done tattoos on dogs in the past. they each have merit. chips have to be scanned or they are useless. tattoos have to be seen and identifiable to work. it really comes down to the person on the ~receiving~ end, and how much they do when trying to identify the dog.

 

Tattoos here. Partly because I'm not into having plastic covered chips in my dogs. I already have plastic in me. But, the main reason is that most people, vets, rescuers, dog pounds can see a tattoo and do a little research with the main tattoo registries (an unregistered tattoo isn't really much help,...and whatever you do, don't put your name and social security number on your dog's thigh.) Also, when I had to get my dogs "identified" I could not easily find a vet with microchips handy,....much less one with a scanner,...even less likely was one with a universal scanner. And this was in New York, not some out of the way place. So, you can just imagine how useful an invisible chip would be should some good samaritan take it to the local vet's office or rescue (many of them did not have scanners either) So, for my money, a good registered tattoo is the way to go. Check on it often and have it refreshed should it start to fade. Especially where these dogs are concerned, I've never seen one that was bothered by the machine or the procedure. Plus, for not too much you can get a machine, sign up with a registry and do the tats on a yard full of dogs yourself. Not sure if one can do the same with chips.

 

Thank you guys for your point/counter-points on this I see the advantages of both options, in terms of certain cases.

Good deadbolts (and retro-glide buckshot, in the event I happen to be home), too.

 

I'm afraid if your dog is stolen and you don't have at least an idea who took it,chances are unlikely of getting the dog back.Like was said,either could work but only if the finder of the dog checks for it.Lots of people are chipping dogs now,I know of different people with scanners,not just vets but several dog breeders around here chip dogs and own scanners so getting one scanned isn't hard.But,taking precautions to keep the thieves away in the first place would be your best bet,because being a APBT,it'll probably be PTS at the shelter.

 

Looks that way... The house is secure, and incidentally, got a call from the landlord this afternoon, he was talking about alarm systems, like, ADT and stuff. Asked me if I was interested. I told him I am.

I think I'm going to go with the tattoo, for if (God forbid) she somehow manages to get out the house and go tearassing off into the neighborhood (and I'll do everything I can to keep that contingency from happening) and we'll get the alarm, beef up the home security a little bit.

 

Originally Microchips where not that great. However with the advances that have been made they are much more secure and reliable now. Both work great for return and identification purposes. The only thing about a Tat is they can be removed and altered. So can a microchip, but the average thief doesn't feel a dog down for a chip. Possession in 9/10 of the law as they say and in most areas even if you have spotted your dog, if you don't have the recorded proof off a licensed tattoo or chip # then you will not be getting your dog back. If it is a case of the dog being in someone elses care, not just running loose.

Again tho this is also another way that your dogs are recorded. So those who prefer not to register their dogs, this methods don't do much good.

 

Dog thieves are a problem,actually thieves in general are a problem anywhere you go.My mom had her stock dog stolen once,a border collie.So it's not just APBTs in danger.We had some people come by to look about buying a car,I knew them and knew they were thieves so when my mom's dog disappeared we knew where to look.We found him in their yard and "repossessed" him.I found out you have to be real careful who comes around.

 

I think microchip scanners are becoming a lot more common than most people think. I have been to quite a few shelters with less than a dozen kennels that still have a scanner. Unfortunately, a lot of these same shelters will put pits down in the same day they came in if the pits have no tags or chip.

There is some hullabaloo about microchips causing cancer.
Basically, any foreign implant in the body can cause inflammation and inflammation can lead to cancer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/08/AR2007090800997_pf.html

The only one in my household with a microchip is my ex-boyfriends Bull Terrier. That way, if she is ever stolen or ends up in a shelter, their is no doubt about her true owners.
A young hispanic guy with tattoos and long hair fostered 2 pit pups for me for a month or so. He took them into the vet for their vaccination boosters, and the vet ended up scanning the dogs and calling me to confirm this "young male" was supposed to have these dogs.

Im not trying to be rude at all, but I dont think many APBT owners have much to worry about. I think most towns are pretty similar to mine in that there is APBT running around loose quite frequently. Yes, those dogs might not have good pedigrees, but I think 99% of Joe Public doesn't understand anything about bloodlines, etc. I live in a largely poor neighborhood and the only dog that anyone ever attempted to steal with a blue American Bully. And I hear of the bully dogs getting stolen quite often.

Anyway, none of my dogs are chipped, but I do chip the dogs that I foster and rehome.

 

In many places, shelters are required to scan every incoming domestic animal, live or dead, for a microchip. This is state law in CA. So yes, every shelter has a scanner.

My dog has a microchip.

I've found dogs with tattoos but the dog was so freaked out by being lost/by being handled by a stranger that there was no way I could read the tattoo safely without getting bitten, especially the ones on the inside of the thigh. Would you lay every loose dog down and lift up a leg to read it? At least for some shepherds they get the tattoo in their inner ear so you can usually just see it from a distance since they have erect ears. The microchip can be easily scanned for even if the dog is on a snare pole, IME; the worst that usually happens is the dog bites the scanner.

Every vet I've been to in the past ten years, both in CA and in MA (including small rural places) and in NH (definitely small rural places), has had a microchip scanner and has encouraged me to microchip my animals.

I'd like to have both a microchip and a tattoo for my dog but I'll likely stick w/the chip.

I am 99% sure that most microchips are made of inert glass, not plastic, which can leach out chemicals just like your Gladware and plastic water bottles into your body.

 

Thanks again for the advice and thoughts! The wife is TOTALLY against tattooing, and I see her point about it; we decided to go the chip route as like a backup, and the alarm system is being installed tomorrow afternoon for our first line of defense against intruders.

 

I was once interested on GPS microchip that localizes your dog with a software usable on a PDA or the own company offers you a service to localize your dog (this is used on child too) but it was way to expensive for my pocket, around 400$ and monthly payment.

This was originally used on child but adapted to pets. I'll try to find the website.

 

Please do, that sounds interesting, although, GPS tracking chips in children, wow! Back in the day, when I was like, 9 or 10, if I wasn't home by dinner and dad couldn't find me he'd just give me an ass-whoopin whenever I came home LOL If he had one of those GPS chip things installed in me, he could have tracked me down anywhere and whooped my ass in front of all my friends :eek: