dogs being dumped - the credit crunch?? see UPDATE on pg. 5

LillyJ

MrsTine wrote: »

No the ID tag is a requirement BY LAW - the microchip sadly IS NOT

The point I guess for now is that not everywhere has an ID chip reader... Increasingly they do I know
However when Kira one day managed to open the front door and made a dash for freedom I had her back in 15 minutes because she had a tag on - a lady the other end of the estate found her and took her indoors and called the number on her tag. Now if she hadn't had that then the lady would have had to call the dogwarden or take the dog to a vet (not likely to happen as this particular lady is a childminder and couldn't just leave the children in her charge to drop a random dog off at a vet 8 miles away) in order for someone to scan her chip and then call the register and THEN they would call me and tell me where she was.

I always have a collar on Kira with her tag on - Anything could happen - the lead COULD snap and she might get scared and run away. Someone might accidently let her out the front door, she might manage to open it herself again!

Tag It costs so little and you COULD get a fine (and as you have found your insurance won't actually cover her if she doesn't have a tag and gets lost...)

I had never though about keeping our dog's collar on when he is at home in case he escaped! We just put it on for walks then take it off when we get back in. He is unlikely to escape (would probably be too scared to get further than the front gate - although he wouldn't want us to think that!) but you never know I suppose.

I do worry about the lead snapping, I wonder how common it is? Doesn't worry me so much in the park, but I won't walk him near to the main road just in case.

MrsTinks

Well the stitching will get weaker with time and even metal gets fatigued - I'd just rather not risk it As for walking next to the road then good heel work will reduce any chance of breaking leads as there won't be any pull on it

pboae

Some people use lightweight collars (sometimes called house collars) just for putting tags on, the dog can then wear it comfortable 24/7, even if they need something sturdier for walking on.

My dog used to pull a lot and broke several leads and collars. It was genearally the fittings that broke rather than the fabric. He wears a loose half check collar now, which only tightens the same as a normal flat collar, but is more comfy for him than a regular flat collar because his fur is so thick.

He is chipped as well, but I think a tag is far more useful, in terms of getting your dog back quickly. I know someone who got burgled and they either let the dog out, or she got out through the broken door. She wasn't chipped and didn't wear a collar in the house. There were sightings of her in the area for days afterwards, but they never got her back.

I also think that people will maybe make more effort to find the owners of a dog with a collar, because it shows that it has at least been owned by someone at some point.

Milford_Cubicle

Don't get me wrong, I will end up getting a collar and disc for the puppy, I was just asking.
On the flip side - if people are more likely to look for an owner if the dog has a collar and disc, only vets and rescue centres have chip reading devices, it's not a legal requirement and it doesn't reduce your insurance premium, then what's the point?
Obviously with cats, they're more likely to go AWOL than a dog and trying to keep a cat in a collar is like trying to staple fog to a waterfall so I can see the point moreso with cats.

Again, don't get me wrong and I am going to chip the puppy - but why?

Sagz_2

Milford_Cubicle wrote: »

Again, don't get me wrong and I am going to chip the puppy - but why?

ID chips are permanent - collars can be removed.


Re dumping dogs because of the credit crunch, I could never do it. My pets are my family and you don't go dumping your granny just because money is tight do you?

foreign_correspondent

Milford_Cubicle wrote: »

On the flip side - if people are more likely to look for an owner if the dog has a collar and disc, only vets and rescue centres have chip reading devices, it's not a legal requirement and it doesn't reduce your insurance premium, then what's the point?
Again, don't get me wrong and I am going to chip the puppy - but why?

...in case the collar or tag comes off, is taken off or becomes unreadable!!!

Your day may escape because its collar breaks, or it slips it, or someone undoes it.

I found a springer x collie last year which I managed to return to its owner, (however, this was only because she had rung the dog warden just before I did) - the dog had escaped by backing out of his (tagged) collar and doing a runner on his way to the park, so there was no way to ID him.

You could have a hell of a job identifying an individual dog such as a lab or staffie if not (thousands of very similar looking dogs, and yours may not end up at the most local pound) - for security I would always say chipped and tagged is clearly best.

frankie55

I can remeber a TV prog many years ago about the RSPCA and their work, and they had a report of a dog who was looking very very thin, and neighbours were worried about it, When they investigatesd they found that the dog was being fed on cornflakes for breakfast and a Burger or Fish Finger or Sausage and chips for it's main meal and that it had lost a lot of weight (it was a large mongrel type dog) Further investigation showed that the three children in the family were being fed the same diet, and had also lost weight. The truth was that the parents had lost their jobs in the reccession (sp) in the early eighties and were struggling on benefits which were less generous than they are today, they were doing their best for al their family, including the dog! The RSPCA sympathiesed but said they couldn't continue to feed the dog in the same way and arranged for some dog food to be given to the family until their circumstances improved. We never know what lies in wait for us, though my pampered doggybaby would be the last to have economies made I would be prepared to buy cheaper dog food etc if needed and parting with a pet would be truly the last resort.

foreign_correspondent

thanks Frankie - yes, I guess if I had kids and a dog the children would have to come first - however, I do think that feeding a cheapo working dog food (vat free too) would be cheaper than sausage and chips! I worked out recently that (IIRC) my dog costs less than 10p a day to feed. However, I guess vets bills etc are often a factor too, and am not sure how much the PDSA cover, and whether all dog owners are aware of them?

I did read on another forum that people losing their homes and moving to rented accom which does not always allow pets can be another reason for more dogs becoming homeless during the credit crunch.

Ultimately, this probably means lots of nice, well adjusted, child friendly, family dogs are landing in rescues - so for anyone looking for a dog, now may be a great time to consider a rescue dog!

moomin5

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

...in case the collar or tag comes off, is taken off or becomes unreadable!!!

Your day may escape because its collar breaks, or it slips it, or someone undoes it.

Yeah i agree, its better to be safe than sorry! My dogs have ear tatoos (ex-racer greyhounds), microchip and wear tag collars 24/7. We put on a separate walking collar/harness for walks and the tag collar sits lower on the neck so if they did ever slip their collar, the tag collar should in theory stay on.

It's also a good idea to get the microchip scanned when you visit the vet every so often to check its not moved. Occasionally they can migrate and so not get picked up when getting scanned around the usual impant site. If you move you need to remember to update your details too I think tags are still great (apart from legal requirement) as its more likely to be a member of the public that will find your lost dog so it increases chance of you being reunited quicker.

MrsTinks

Also ID chips are a requirement if you use the Pets Passport scheme
but yes - cats certainly have an ability to slip their collars - put new ones on mine last night and 4 hours later the fat cat has slipped his already... BAH! Oh well another £3 for a new collar today then Somewhere round here is a small pile of collars just waiting for me to find them!

Tags on cats... have to say I think they're pretty pointless and also not a legal requirement Only think they are pointless due to the amount of times my two slip their collars...

If I take any of my 3 furs in to the vets they usually always scan them to check the chips are in place etc - if it's moved they make a note of it on the records. Not so much an issue with a small cat but it could be on a 35kg wriggly dog