Most people have heard about having a microchip implanted in their dog but never really thought about how the whole system actually works. Let’s walk through the process so you have a better idea and can make an informed decision.

There are several microchip companies to choose from. I settled on AKC’s Reunite brand for one basic reason. It has a lifetime enrollment without yearly subscription fees to be paid for the basic plan. Once you pay for the chip and register, you don’t get pestered annually to pay for optional services.

Since my experience is with AKC Reunite, my explanations are based on their services. (and no, I don’t get any commissions for “plugging” them. I just know how their specifics work).

Other companies send you annual “renewal” notices whether you have basic or optional services making it sound like you won’t have the basic benefit of the chip being used to locate the dog’s owner. A minor annoyance as long as you realize you don’t have to keep paying every year unless you want upgraded services.

With most companies, you can change your information anytime, online or by phone as often as necessary for a small fee. If you move, change vets or want to change who your alternate contact is, you can update the records as necessary.

If your vet will be implanting the chip, they have already made the choice as to which company you will be using. Since I implant my own dogs, I can choose.

IMPORTANT! After Implanting A Microchip You Must Register The Chip

This is really important. Implanting without registering the microchip will do little. Don’t walk out of the vet’s office thinking everything is done. You will be given info or a pamphlet about the chip and how to register. When you register, it will link your pup to your name, telephone numbers, emergency contacts, etc. in the database.  Your vet does not do this. 

A 24/7 toll-free line is included with every microchip enrolled

When your pup is found and Reunite is contacted by whomever caught your pup, the Reunite people will send you a text, an email and begin calling the phone numbers you provided on registration. 

If you can’t be reached, they will contact any alternate contacts you listed.

The microchip folks also give you the location of where your wayward hound is.

Upgrades to the Basic Plan With Additional Costs (AKC Reunite)

Lost Pet Alert Complete

• They will send Lost Pet Alert email broadcasts to participating veterinarians, shelters and pet lovers in the area your pup was last seen so they can be on the lookout for your lost pet.
• Online tools to customize your pet’s profile with its picture, medical information and more.
• Plus, you can create and print Lost Pet Alert posters to help you quickly spread the word to neighbors that your pet is missing.
• Only available in the 50 United States and Washington D.C.

Pet Poison Hotline

• This subscription provides immediate treatment advice from animal health experts around the clock, seven days a week.
• This life-saving service is a superior supplement to your vet’s professional expertise. Experts will walk you through recommended steps to treat your pet and are also available to discuss the case with you or your veterinarian as needed.
• Once registered, access is easy… just call Reunite’s hotline at 800-252-7894. After your pet’s subscription to this service is verified, you will be connected with Pet Poison Helpline.

You Still Have Some Legwork In Order To Find Your Dog

One important aspect is to physically go to the local shelters to check to see if your dog is there. Don’t just call and give a description. The staff you are speaking to may not know about your dog being picked up. The staff may mislabel a dog’s breed, so if you ask if any shelties were picked up and they say “no” it may be they are relying on the intake person’s information. And that intake person may think your sheltie is a border collie. Just go and put your eyes on all the dogs yourself to see if your pup is there.

The Cons Of Microchipping

Not terribly inconvenient, but microchips can migrate from where they were originally inserted. This means people using a scanner need to check the entire dog if they can’t find a chip between the shoulder blades.I have had dogs whose chip has migrated all the way down the back or down to an elbow.

And finally, no objection to any procedure would be complete without a study on how it can cause cancer. Because nothing is simple, nothing is totally harmless.

Dog thieves are now surgically removing the microchip after they steal a dog

So you have to ask yourself, just how effective is having microchip anymore When people are this determined to steal your dog. Every time I hear a story about how a dog, lost for 3 years, was found 2,000 miles from home, a little voice says, “stolen, sold and got loose again”.

A Microchip Technically Is NOT Proof Of Ownership

In most states there is no way to “prove” you own a dog other than a removable dog license tag. Sad but true. If you read the fine print of microchip companies, they make this distinction. They say their product is a tracking device, not a dog ownership product. 

In Delaware, the regulation states that a microchip can be used in lieu of a a county dog license, which would counter that position, but they have no way of implementing this option, so in effect it doesn’t exist. Government… gotta love ‘em. 

However, if you put the chip number on a dog’s AKC registration application before you send it in, there will then be a paper trail that says, first, you own the dog (AKC Registration papers) and second, there is his microchip number included on that registration which is implanted in that particular dog. Not perfect, but just an added layer of data.

I do microchip my breeding stock, but only because it is required in order to get PennHip hip X-ray evaluations. If that wasn’t a requirement for the screening, I don’t think I would microchip.

Other Options

If you don’t like the idea of using an implant, there is always the external GPS monitors for you to help locate your pup. It attaches to any collar and you track your dog on your mobile phone. However, that doesn’t protect the dog from theft as it is obviously removable.

There is also the old fashioned way, which is to tattoo your dog. Unfortunately, the dog’s coat could cover it making it less obvious for staff at a shelter to locate it, if it is placed on the inside of the thigh, so keeping that area shaved would be prudent. Alternatively you could have the tattoo placed on the inside of the ear. You can read more about this HERE.