Has your dog gone missing? Microchips or trackers might help

There’s not a day when I wouldn’t come across a shared post concerning a missing dog on social networks. Sometimes it’s about neglecting its safety, sometimes bad luck. Therefore, using a microchip should go without saying. However, it’s not enough for finding the lost dog.

Nowadays, a microchip is (or should be) a common thing. I even dare to say a necessary thing for dogs’ owners. It is used for a permanent animal tagging and it is obligatory in Prague since 2015. It is a very handy and practical thing. A chipped dog can be identified very quickly when it’s abandoned or lost using a reader which animal control, police, veterinary clinics and some dog shelters and associations have available. Besides the situation when a dog is lost, this tag will come in handy when travelling in the EU.

It is a radiofrequency device, about a millimetre wide and a centimetre long which is put inside the animal’s body to the subcutaneous tissue on the left side of its neck using an applicator. A chip is programmed with a unique code and the animal and its owners are matched in a database using this code. When a dog is chipped at a vet, the owner should receive two registration cards with the code. The owner keeps one of them and sends the other one to the National Register of Animal Owners.

And the chip will help to find the owner of a lost dog. A tracker works on the opposite principle – it helps owners to find their dogs. Moreover, while a chip is a passive device, a tracker helps to find the dog actively. Or more precisely, it gives you information on where your dog is right now in the real time. It is also useful for cat owners if they are interested in where their little adventurers wonder during the day. For example, my cat spent a lot of time at my neighbours. I thought, she’s out there all day, hunting pigeons and playing with other cats and meanwhile, she has a second home in the next flat :).

A GPS tracker is a small box you can attach to your dog’s collar. You only have to recharge it regularly. And it’s not even that expensive as you might expect. The prices start at one thousand crowns.

If your dog is after any hare or roe deer it smells or no high fence can keep it on your garden, a tracker is the right thing for you and it is necessary for the safety of your dog.

Does your companion have a tracker? And what type have you decided for? I’ll be glad if you’ll share your experience.

 

Related articles

Yoga with a dog, or doga in other words

Doing yoga with a dog, or doga in other words (the combination of “dog” and “yoga”), has become popular in the United States of America, but it has not become so popular in the Czech Republic yet. What is it about and what benefits does this sport have...

How to prepare a cat for winter

Days are getting colder and it is time again to prepare our furry friends who live outdoors for winter. All cats (whether they live outdoors or only go outside occasionally) need our greater attention in this season.

Little big loves – how to feed them the best?

Each dog is an individual and has different needs. When it comes to diet, it depends on its health condition or physically demanding activities. However, we can generalize these needs to a certain degree according to a breed, age and mainly the size of...

Rabbits also have a holiday dedicated to them

The International Rabbit Day is celebrated on the fourth Saturday or Sunday in September. This year, it was 22 September. This annual celebration of a cute mammal with long ears, short tail and a velvet coat is not only meant for the million of rabbits...

BARF, i.e. back to nature by food

Do you also follow the recent trend which encourages us to come back to our roots and mind our planet more? I am personally very happy about that. More and more households live according to zero-waste and non-toxic principles and we don’t forget about...