WELFARE - Check Your Microchip: It may not be Registered

Having your pet microchipped has long been touted as a top means of protection should it go missing.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, however, more than half of microchips implanted in pets are not registered – rendering them pretty much useless.

“Did you know that 6 out of 10 #microchips aren't registered? Aug 15 is #ChecktheChipDay, reminder 2 check that chip!” the AVMA recently tweeted.

“Microchips greatly increase the chances that you'll get your pets back if they get lost or stolen,” says AVMA president, Tom Meyer.

“But a microchip only works if its registration information is accurate.”

Registering any microchip is sage advice but increasingly people are questioning the merits of chipping in the first place.

Microchips – encoded with unique information and about the size of a grain of rice - are embedded in a pet, usually by injection, just below the surface of the skin.

Should a pet become lost, a vet or someone with a scanner can read the radio frequency identification and assess the unique code embedded in the chip.

Ideally, that would provide information leading them to the current owner.

But in reality, say many critics, that doesn't always happen.

There is not a single company which has the monopoly on collecting and storing microchip information and this is one of the first complications.

Add to that, the reality many chips are not even registered and if they are, often times, information is outdated.

Different microchips have different frequencies and not every scanner reads every frequency, so chips can easily be missed.

That means the happy reunion pet owners hope to have delivered via microchip doesn't always happen.

There are times when pets whose owners cannot be found are euthanized or even adopted out to new families.

Olivia White has looked extensively at the merit in microchips in pets. And the U.S entrepreneur has found it is not a reliable way to ensure owners are reunited with lost pets.

She came across the conundrum several years ago when she read an email about a lost dog but says she “fell down a rabbit hole,” when she tried to track its owner via information linked to the microchip number.

Time and again she found issues with microchips can mean crucial information required to reunite a lost pet with an owner isn't accessed.

Cori Imbery, manager of HomeSafeTM, a system run by PetLynx, says there has to be a better way.

A microchip is one of many means of pet identification but given some of its shortcomings, alone it is not enough.

“You can't really rely on it,” says Imbery, owner of a mixed-breed named Sienna. “There are different microchip companies and the question of whether they will stay in business. Some have gone under and some have merged.”

“So, to put your faith in that one piece of identification is a little bit scary. Having a microchip is great but there are other ways. As a pet owner, I would want to make sure I have lots of options.”

More than a million Canadian pet owners agree and have chosen HomeSafeTM to increase the odds of locating a lost pet.

Pet owners pay a one-time, $39 fee (for the life of an animal,) to store information on the national, online, database.

Information, which could be everything from a photograph to physical description, tattoo details as well as microchip information, can be updated at any time and is managed by the pet owner rather than a third party.

If a pet is found, the finder can input specific details about the animal - from physical characteristics to identification - and the system will search for a match among registered pets.

“It is surprising to see what pet owners add to their pet record,” Imbery says.

“They store care profiles, contact information, addresses of the locations where they take their pet and pictures along with other valuable elements and descriptions that can help keep their pet safe.”

Still, many organizations feel microchips offer some unique advantages and rely on that technology.

“All of our dogs and cats are sent home to new owners with a microchip,” says Calgary Humane Society spokesman, Philip Fulton.

“Microchips don't fade like tattoos and can't be taken off like a collar tag.”

He said microchips are registered by the shelter but warns the onus – should the pet change ownership hands – is on the previous owner to transfer information linked to the chip to ensure it is kept current.

Looking for other options?

There are also numerous GPS devices available, ranging from about a hundred dollars to several hundred, as a way to keep track of a lost pet.

But several consumer reports speak of glitches ranging from a short battery life to limited geographical reach.

As for those microchips, animal welfare advocates largely agree it is advisable to get its status checked on a regular basis.

It's #ChecktheChipDay so check that chip.

Note: the author of this piece recently had her dog's microchip status checked at the vet only to discover there appears to be no chip. The rescue organization where she got the dog insists it was inserted but claimed they sometimes can work their way out of the pet's body. Just another reason to check your pet's chip.

By Nadia Moharib

Nadia is an animal lover who has adopted everything from birds to hamsters, salamanders, rabbits, fish and felines. She has written about all-things-pets for years and was a long-time editor of a pet magazine in a daily newspaper which featured a Q & A column, Ask Whit, penned by her pooch (ghost written, of course.) The serial dog owner lives in Calgary, Alberta and most days can be found at a dog park picking up after her rescue pooch, Scoots.

Microchipping Dogs to Become Mandatory in England

Scanning for a microchip

As reported in The Telegraph, as of April 6^th this year microchipping dogs will be compulsory in England.

Failure to comply will result in fines of up to £500.

George Eustice, animal welfare minister, told The Telegraph, “Microchipping our dogs will not only reunite people with their lost or stolen pets, but also help to tackle the growing problem of strays roaming the streets and relieve the burden placed on animal charities and local authorities.”

The hope is that by returning dogs to their owners more quickly and efficiently, local authorities and charities will save millions in pet food, housing and re-homing costs.

It will also reduce the stress on the dog – less time wandering or in a shelter - and dog owner, who will have more confidence the dog will be identified and returned.

Follow-Up Interview with Brad Tanner about Sea of Green Campaign

In Brad Tanner’s first interview he told us about the Sea of Green campaign. Now he is able to share more information about his passion and communicate his message with others.

InfoStream (IS): Your passion about this subject is evident; how did you find the strength to speak out and start the Sea of Green?

Brad Tanner (BT): It is my natural tendency to try to find solutions to a problem. I didn’t know any other way. Coming home every night and looking at my kids sad eyes and all of us wondering where he was, and knowing that other families are going through it for no reason. That’s unacceptable. We have the opportunity and the ability to prevent other families having to experience this.  

I felt it was my responsibility to fix this issue. I've identified it and now its up to me. Like an action item on an Incident Investigation, It is an area to be lacking or non-existent and improvements are required to keep the worker safe. Similarly, when a worker identifies a hazard, that worker now owns that hazard and has the responsibility to fix it, even if is simply finding the person who can fix the problem. That’s what we are doing here. Identifying the problem, providing a solution, and ensuring that solution is then implemented.

Put that together with kids asking, “what are you doing about it dad?”

The answer ‘I took some time off work and went looking for him’ was not a good enough answer.  I was able to say to them, “Today I talked to the mayor, today I was on the news, today I spoke with an agency in the United States, I talked to this guy, that guy, I was actively working to find the answers, because if I don’t I'm no better than the guys not filling in the gaps right now. That is the decent thing to do. That is the right thing to do. You can be part of the solution or part of the problem and I choose to be part of the solution. I’m not going to turn a blind eye and walk away. I will never ever quit, under any circumstances, ever.

Every day you see on the news, radio, social media, all this negativity and it seems like the world going downhill. That's the world I can’t change, but if I  can change things in my own world, to help others, that is my responsibility as a person. To bring back a sense of community and doing something for the good….for most people it requires low cost and low time commitment. It doesn’t take much to pay it forward.

IS: Why is it so important for pet owners to share this information with other pet owners?

BT: Because it works far better than anything else. It is effective and we’ve proven it to be effective here. It works quickly, and the results speak for themselves.

The Sea of Green Program aims to help pet owners feel supported and empowered. It allows them to do something, rather than remain stuck and feel helpless. Now pet owners are actively working the issue with a completely committed team. They are not alone. They are supported whether their pet has been lost or stolen. It provides the ability to be actively involved, and gives some sense of control over the problem you are facing. I had no control and was forced to rely upon the people and organizations who couldn’t do anything for me. It was all up to me, but now it’s up to us and that is huge!!

IS: If there is one thing you could share with fellow pet owners, what would it be?

BT: We have found something that works. We don't have to live with the uncertainty. We have the power, and it is us. We are the answer, its not in industry, we aren’t going to find it there. We need to bring it to them. It’s only us that care about our pets the way they need to be cared for. The many sectors such as the Humane Societies, the Animal Control Officers, the veterinarians, the RCMP, are often battling compassion fatigue. They may want to care, but they don’t have it left in them, they are exhausted.

As pet owners we have the power to protect and keep our pets safe and the ability and responsibility to support the aforementioned agencies. Too many people rely on the hope that it will never happen to them or that the system, that doesn’t exist, will work.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

BT: If your community is interested in being proactive before you have a problem, then step up and be that leader, be the champion. The Sea of Green Program will effectively work its way across Canada. How quickly is up to them. We are going to find those communities who are reacting to an incident and we will find those communities who want to take a proactive and preventative approach.

Within 4 weeks of implementing these concepts and tools in Fort St. John, the thefts and attempted thefts have practically ceased based on the postings gathered on the Facebook page Stolen Dogs 911, originally created to find my dog Chocco.

The RCMP have been supportive of the initiative and have unofficially stated that there is a noticeable decrease in the number of calls they are receiving about theft attempts and missing dogs in the Fort St. John area.

Interview with Brad Tanner - Innovation Showcase Scholarship Nominee

On Saturday February 21, 2015, worried owners went door to door searching for their pets. As they searched they encountered details suggesting their much loved companions were brazenly stolen. In early March Chocco was found dead. The difficulties Brad Tanner experienced inspired him to start the Sea of Green campaign. 

Infostream (IS): What prompted you to begin this campaign?

Brad Tanner (BT): The first answer is because of my dog, Chocco. The second answer is finding out the hard way that there was nowhere to turn when your dog goes missing, and you’re left all alone. Anyone that should care either can’t help or doesn’t care. The only ones that did care were the pet owners, who rallied to my aid and showed empathy and support. That is when I realized we had an opportunity to make things better and provide coverage for the multiple gaps in the systems.

IS: Tell us about the gaps in the systems.

BT: In the case of the BC SPCA, the issue is not being able to reach out to them because they have such limited hours and don’t have any after-hours services. The BC SPCA couldn’t check voicemail until the afternoon of the next day to find out if anybody may have found my dog. I found it difficult to contact city bylaw, it was hard to get the number and hard to get in touch with someone that could help me. They couldn’t do anything for me because I'm a rural resident and live outside their jurisdiction or municipality limits. My only other avenue was the RCMP but at first, they shrugged me off.

I began reaching out and contacting the media to get exposure. After the first media exposure the mayor got in touch with me and was concerned about the situation. She reached out to some of her contacts, which brought me to the Return-to-Owner program of PetLynx, called HomeSafe.

I had searched all kinds of websites, lost pet sites, rescues, and collected phone numbers for rescues across Canada, looking for my dog. I went through it all and it was difficult and very time consuming.

Once I learned about the HomeSafe system and how that would have been helpful, I was wishing I would have known about it earlier. It was by far the best system I found, but there was still room for improvement. To make it even better, it needed that something extra, the community aspect…. that Sea of Green.

Part of what I have learned is that the pet industry is very fragmented. It seems that part of the industry is mostly interested in selling the pet owner products. The other side of the industry is so bedraggled and tired, suffering from compassion fatigue and lack of funds that it is hard for them to do any more than they already are. All across the industry I have not been able to find something that actually works to keep you and your pet together. There is nothing out there that keeps the pets with the family. Nothing that prevents loss. It is all reactive. The Sea of Green is a proactive program rather than a reactive approach.

The identification tools available such as tattoos, microchips, smart tags, etc. may aid in returning your pet, but do not prevent your pet from leaving. The systems available are slow, confusing, cumbersome and difficult to access for a pet owner who is not familiar with the industry. These systems require a great deal of time, communication, and efforts from many different agencies…How do you do it? How do you reach out and know you have covered all the avenues? You’ve got this group, that group, all the other groups, how do you know you got them all? Do you need to stroll through the yellow pages or every online site? Do you need to wear out your phone by dialling 60 numbers and explaining your story over and over? No.  

It only took me 3 days to realize we had a hell of a problem, a very real and serious issue going on up here and when I first spoke to the mayor she was a non-believer. She wasn’t aware there was an issue. As she became aware of the magnitude of the issue at hand, it opened my eyes further to learn that this municipality, as well as many or all others, are themselves suffering from a lack of resources due to fluctuating economy and various political factors. The municipalities are doing the best they can to provide the coverage required with the resources they have. But I can see where they need our help.

IS: Please tell us about the Sea of Green campaign.

BT: It’s a program for the pet owners, by the pet owners. The gaps have been identified and the solution is for us to unite as pet owners to help protect and recover each others’ four legged family members. To show the industry what it is that we are wanting and needing. In turn, we will relieve the burden on all these other organizations that aren't able to cope and handle the extreme demand that is ravaging across this nation.

The ‘Sea of Green’ has two main components: A dedicated network of pet lovers and a single centralised pet registry (PetLynx) and one social media point. The goal is to integrate community and technology together enabling each and every household to monitor and locate their beloved pet with merely a few touches of a button.

IS: How will the campaign be launched and word spread?

BT: So far it’s been spreading by word of mouth and social media.  It is going to be launched by finding those people that unfortunately ran into the same problems and roadblocks I did. By finding those community champions and pet lovers that care and are motivated.

It is launched with a community event, where all concerned pet owners can gather in the same room, feel supported, and discuss how to best implement a community plan. I tell my story and describe why and how the ‘Sea of Green’ concept works to combat pet theft and expedite pet recovery.

This first meeting also serves to identify the champions of the community who will be able to lead the initiative and bring back the face to face community interaction. Building relationships with others in your town, your neighbourhood, and connecting with someone you never met before is the key component of this program. It is about being united and speaking to the industry with a common voice.  It’s about supporting your fellow pet owners.

Our tools are media, social media and mainstream media, that we will use to spread this. The success of this program is getting people excited and they are spreading the word enthusiastically. With every social event, with every dog lost, stolen or found, the word will spread more and more. We will get to that point where there will be complete coverage. The people will believe in it because they are part of it and have a hand in it’s success.

We’ve proven it to be a success and the results are reaching other communities, who are now asking us how we did it. Nobody else has been able to do this, it may not be the end all and be all, but it is a good place to start. It fills the gaps for now and it is a system that can continue to evolve and become more powerful with every community we touch.

Pet loss will always happen, pets wander off. The HomeSafe program and The Sea of Green program helps to recover them, even if it’s only to provide closure. Dog theft, for whatever reason they are being taken, is a very lucrative and low risk activity. Its easy money but our efforts are now pushing it into a high risk activity.  It is not so easy for them when the Sea of Green is in your town. Through our efforts, it will eventually lead to changes in the legal system. Not any day soon, but eventually.

If someone gets caught stealing a dog here in Fort St John, I believe the thief will be hit with the full extent of the law, even though it is limited at best, the penalties and charges will be greater here because the RCMP are involved as well. The information that the Sea of Green members collect and pass onto the RCMP include notes on times, places, witnesses, vehicles, photos and video footage.  We can prove with more certainty that, ‘yes, this dog was stolen, and yes, stolen by this individual'.