Two Forms of ID – The Difference Between Life & Death?
Pets should be identified with a microchip and they are OK, right? WRONG!
Microchips are good, but they are not perfect. A microchip PLUS an external ID tag can save you heaps of money, save your pet from stress and possibly early death, and save you from being on a “database of offenders” in some jurisdictions.Your pet needs two forms of Identification!
FIVE REASONS WHY YOUR PET SHOULD HAVE AN ID TAG AS WELL AS A MICROCHIP
1. It tells the world you really love them
A pet with a collar and tag, or external ID, is owned. It’s clear you love them enough to “dress” them. People can read the tag and call your pet by their name. It’s clear that aren’t “just a stray” and that you are proud to call them your pet. There are plenty of safe cat collars available now to keep an ID tag on. Even small pets and livestock pets can have external ID – plastic tags or legbands for livestock, rings/bands for birds and some reptiles, brands for horses, and so on.
2. It helps them find their own way home if they get lost
It is estimated that more than 90% of people who find a pet with an ID tag will call the number on that tag. So, no pound, no rangers, no stress, it’s generally local, you make friends with your neighbours and they see you as a responsible pet owner. Not only that, but an escaped, stressed and frightened pet who is called by their name by a stranger who finds them is more likely to be removed from danger and more likely to obey.
3. It avoids really big council penalties if your pet goes missing
If your pet gets lost and goes to the pound, it can cost you up to $500 to get them back. You may have to pay impounding fees, fines and other penalties and you may end up on an “offenders” database. Can you afford this much on short notice? Surely it is better to get them back before they are impounded?
4. It stops the pet you love being lost accidentally
Your pet escapes and is “hit by car”, the vet has the choice is to “stabilise and wait for tomorrow” or to phone the number on the tag and get full treatment immediately. Wouldn’t you rather get proper treatment for your pet, now? What if your pet dies overnight? If a microchip can’t be found (see below), and things look bad, your pet might be lost forever just because you can’t be contacted.
5. It can stop the pet you love being lost forever…
If your pet escapes and goes to the pound, and they can’t find a microchip, they will wait the legal period and then put your pet up for adoption to someone else. Or, in some cases, your beloved pet might just be put down.
But what’s wrong with “just a microchip”?
Microchips are an effective, convenient and useful form of ID for your pet. They are small, usually can’t be removed, inert and don’t cause problems for your pet. Every pet that is loved should have a microchip.
But, like most things, nothing is perfect.
– They can’t be seen. Nobody knows that you pet is microchipped until they run a chip reader over the pet. So even you don’t know if the microchip is missing.
– You have to GO somewhere to read the chip! Will the “Good Samaritan” who just picked up your frightened, wet, muddy pet in the dark in the storm feel like driving miles off to a vet or pound to see if it is owned (IF they are open)? Or will they just get back in the car and drive away?
– Microchips can travel. Microchipped pets can’t always be identified because the chips can travel under the skin, or are unreadable, or the detector is not used properly.
– Even though microchips can be useful for helping your pet find their way home, the primary role of microchips is for pet registration.
– Microchip databases aren’t perfect because no database is perfect. Your database entry might have an error, or somebody forgot to update your details when you moved.
If you love your pet, get external ID. “Two forms of ID” is your pet’s ticket home. Get a quality ID Tag today!