Do you still tattoo your puppies?

[GSDBESTK9]

Evi's pups are leaving this weekend so they are getting their tattoos either today or tomorrow. I know they no longer tattoo in Germany, they just use microchips but I was curious how many breeders still tattoo their pups here in the US. Have breeders stopped doing it here as well?? If you still tattoo, do you register the tattoo with a national registry of some sort? I'm sure I've heard it before, but why did they stop tattooing in Germany anyway?

I see the pros of having a tattoo, but are there any cons in your opinion?

I like my own dogs tattooed but I also michorchip. I think if someone, for whatever reason had a hold of my dog, having a tattoo would be a good way to identify and prove it is my dog right away without having to go find a scanner and all. Not to mention that some times microchips fail and become unreadable.

For schutzhund people who trial their dogs, it is so much easier to just show the Judge the tattoo than to have to search for a chip scanner and search for the chip. But that's just me.

I think some shelters will hesitate to put down a dog who is tattooed vs. a dog that isn't. I think they would hold the dog longer and research more for the owner.

[Chris Wild]

Yes we still tattoo our pups. We microchip them also.

[robinhuerta]

We still tattoo...(but only the ones we are keeping or showing)...most companion homes want them microchipped.
So...for our personal dogs...we will do both.

[idahospud49]

My breeder still does tattoos. So Glock has his, but I still plan on getting a microchip. I wil just feel better if I have as many bases covered as possible with him!!

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by idahospud49

My breeder still does tattoos. So Glock has his, but I still plan on getting a microchip. I wil just feel better if I have as many bases covered as possible with him!!

There's no reason to wait on that, I had Dena & Keefer microchipped on their first vet visit after I got them at 9 weeks old. Halo already had hers (done by the breeder), so I just needed to register it.

[4TheDawgies]

My breeder tattooed which I personally like and hope to get with all of the puppies I purchase to save me some trouble. If I intend to show and work the dog I want the tattoo for purposes of showing the judge for trials instead of a scanner.. I had all of my other dogs tattooed as well. Nina my pitbull was done for a trial because I didn't want to supply a $300 scanner for a freakin BH.

All of my dogs also have microchips but since those float around the body and it took 15 minutes of me and my vet scanning Nina's whole body to find it once just for a recheck, I figured a tattoo is a more reliable thing. My girls also have tattoos on their bellies (a little line) from when they got spayed so no one tries to accidentally open them up if they are put into a rescue by chance.

If any of my dogs go missing I want it very obvious they are well loved, have good homes, and I want them back.

[jaggirl47]

Leyna has her microchip but I know from personal experience with Zappa that they go out. I took Leyna in and had her tattooed on her inner thigh. I added the tattoo to her AKC registration, registered it with her Home Again microchip (you can add it on when you register the chip), registered it with UScA, and registered it with the SV. I like having the double "coverage" on her.

[Jax's Mom]

My breeder still tattoos. Other breeders I've spoken to have said she only does because she's cheap. I prefer both, but if I had to choose, I'd rather have a tattoo.
Our tattoo registry in Canada is the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club), which requires all registered dogs to be either tattooed or chipped before going home.

[Mrs.K]

If you still tattoo, do you register the tattoo with a national registry of some sort? I'm sure I've heard it before, but why did they stop tattooing in Germany anyway?

It is against the Animal Protection Law to inflict knowingly pain to the pet. I guess they re-wrote the law or started to enforce it, however it is one of the reasons why we no longer tattoo. Another reason is the EU and the new traveler regulations. They only accept the tattoo until 2011 and from there on it has to be a transponder (i.e. Chip) to identify the pet if you travel in and out of the European Union. It's to get better control and eliminate rabies. We've got quite a few rabies free places and they'd like to keep it that way.

Personally, in the US, I'd rather have both. You barely can oversee a tattoo in the ear but not everybody checks for a chip.

[lhczth]

I still tattoo.