As Newfoundland breeders, we fell our most important role is to provide information for current and prospective Newfoundland owners. We get a lot of questions about microchips, so decided to add a page with some info for those who are interested.
Microchips are a wonderful PERMANENT identification system for your dog.
They provide a way to identify your dog, no matter where he or she may be found.
A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted with an injection right under your pets skin, between their shoulder blades. The injection is not painful, maybe a tiny bit more uncomfortable than a regular injection. Once implanted, a special scanner can be used to search for the microchip. The scanner is a bit larger than a pack of cigarettes and is passed over the back of the dog. When it reads the chip it beeps, and the chips number appears on the scanner. Once the number is found, an 800# is called and the information about the owner registerred to the chip is given to the vet office. Just about every vets offices and Humane Societies and dog pounds have scanners as routine equipment now.
If your dog was ever stolen, and recovered by police or Humane Society officials, a microchip provides positive ID that the dog is yours.
If your dog is ever lost and turned into a dog pound, Humane Society or Vet, chances are they will be scanned, and they will be reunited with you.
Even if you do nothing to register the chip in your name, the chip will remain registerred to me. If your dog was scanned, they would call me, and I would notify you!!!
All of our adult dogs are microchipped, and we recommend you get your pups microchipped also.
HOWEVER, there are a few things about microchips we think you should know.
1. Although uncommon, microchips CAN migrate, or for various reason become unscannable.We have had this happen to us. One of our males was chipped and for about a year the chip was scannable. Now for some reason it wont scan!!!!
2. A microchip DOES NOT have a tracking capability of any sort. If your dog is lost or stolen, the chip CAN NOT tell you where he/she is!!
3. A microchip will not prevent your dog from being stolen.
4. A microchip will not prevent your dog from getting lost.
5. A microchip doesnt mean your dog will be returned to you if it is lost or stolen. A person stealing your dog isnt goiing to care who its owner is!!!!! If your dog is lost, unless the person who finds it takes it to a vet to be scanned, the microchip will do no good at all.
SO.....While we believe whole heartedly in the use of microchips, we also think you should get a good old-fashioned metal engraved ID tag with your dogs name, your name and at least your phone number on it.
All of our dogs are microchipped. Each dog also has their rabies tag PLUS an ID tag attached to their collar. On their ID tag is the dogs name, our name, our address and phone number PLUS our vets phone number..
While the puppies are here, as soon as we put a collar on them, we put our "puppy tag" on them. This puppy tag has the same info as our adult tags, only doesnt have the dogs name. We have 12 puppy tags just for puppies while they are being raised here. When they go to their new homes, the tags are removed and disinfected, then used on the next litter.
In this way if one of our puppies were ever to "escape" (which has never happened, knock on wood!!!!), someone would know where they belonged.
We feel that the VERY best chance we have of getting our dog back if he/she is ever lost is by having that ID tag on their collar.
Remember, your Newf is a VERY people oriented dog, very friendly and BEAUTIFUL. If your Newf is found on a Saturday, there is every chance that by Monday the person who found them may very well decide to keep them instead of taking them to a vet to have them scanned for a chip!!!!!
If he has a tag with your name and number on it, the chances of you being called as soon as he is found increase greatly.
DONT TAKE ANY CHANCES.....USE PERMANENT, METAL ID TAGS ATTACHED TO YOUR DOGS COLLAR IN ADDITION TO THEIR MICROCHIP!!!!!!!!!
