I am at least my Bs 4th owner. I had him scanned at the vets but they couldn't identify what type of microchip he has. I can't find any registration for it. I tried to enroll it at http://www.akccar.org/ but even if I use the unknown brand it won't enroll it. I'm assuming his breeder or first owner had the chip implanted but the person I got him from no longer had the information about the person she got him from. There was a breeder in our area and I found out who her vet was but the vet said she moved away.

I was thinking about having a new microchip inserted but I've read that when scanning it may automatically default with the first chip found and shelters don't look for a second chip. If that's true and the scanner reads this unregistered chip, the shelter won't know he's mine.

Has anyone had this problem? Any suggestions?

He does wear a collar with an ID tag.

My biggest worry is of a huge storm or tornado separating me from my dogs. I had a whole wall of my previous home taken out by a storm a couple years ago. Luckily the one dog that bolted only ran next door.

I would try this website to check the microchip number:

http://www.petmicrochiplookup.org/

What is the microchip number? One of us on this list should know which company uses that format. I know one of the companies has a 9 digit number, ex. 000-000-000 and another company uses both letters and numbers.

Was your dog originally bought at a petstore?

Last year I was able to trace a rescue Bs microchip number to an online broker but not to a breeder or petstore. She was a stray so I wanted just basic information like DOB, etc. I think she came from a petstore that was not corporate owned that went out of business.

Jennifer

One suggestion I would make in addition to those above: when you update your registration for your dog with the county where you live (I'm assuming you have to do that to prove they are up to date with rabies shots, as is the yearly rule here), be sure to advise the pound (for lack of a better word) of your dog's microchip number, so if the dog is turned in to them, they will be aware of the number and if you contact them looking for him, they will know he is yours.

I just got lucky. The woman a got him from called to say she found his collar tag. It's Home Again. The reason I wasn't having any luck looking up his number is because the vet tech wrote the number down wrong. The chip had never been registered though.

Shaye's Mom - That's a good idea about the pound. Not sure how it will work here though. It's hard telling what county my dog would wind up at. My property is right on the county line and within a few miles of another county and to make matters even more complicated every town has a choice of contracting with different counties every year.

Thank you both!

You can contact Home Again to find out who originally bought the chip. I doubt a private individual would have bought the chip and did not register it. It was probably a breeder or a broker if the pup was sold at a petstore. The dog that I rescued the chip was never registered either but I was able to trace it back to the company that bought it and implanted it which turned out to be an online broker of pups. I called the microchip company to get the information. If you need help, you can contact me at jensrescue@yahoo.com.

Jennifer

I have home again in Cara (they did it not me), but the expense.. no thanks. You can register ANY microchip info with AKC, one fee for life. That's what I did.

Jennifer, vets often simply insert the chip and give you the paperwork to fill out and send in. I have used chips in my dogs for a good 15 years and never had them do anything else… and have had at least 4 different vets and a microchip clinic at a dog show.

Microchips done at your vet are bought by the vet and "registered" to them…
even though they give you the paperwork, they are logged with the seller's company to whatever party [vet, kennel, breeder] buys them.

I buy my microchips in bulk and my vet charges me a whopping $5 to put them in… all done at 8wks of age.
Since I buy the chips from the company, they are automatically logged in as Khani's Basenjis as the owner of them.
I will know if any of my dogs are ever in a shelter... it worked great when it did happen once... and Sharron got a hold of me the same day and I was able to get my girl back.

Thanks Kathy, I figured the companies register the vets or shelter that buys them. But I have heard many say the number didn't show anything when scanned and they contacted the company, so obviously some companies don't input unless you individually register, which is a shame.