I think what she probably means about the "morality issue" is the pain felt by the dog during the tattooing process.

Thank you - I really couldn't figure that meant. I would never do it if Mabel was awake, or wasn't drunk LOL. She was given a long lasting pain med and she never seemed to have a minute of discomfort. It seemed to be a great time to do it, when she was being spayed and microchipped. It's been a week and she is recovering great. Thanks again regarding the morality issue!:)

HA HA! I read the first part and my mouth dropped until I read the favorite color and realized the implied sarcasm...yes the morality issue was about having a dog tattoo and the pain they may feel or the issue with changing contact information-I HAD NO IDEA YOU COULD GET A REGISTRY NUMBER- that obviously seems to make a lot of sense, and why such an obvious innovation didn't cross my mind-well sometime there's tumble-weeds upstairs I guess LOL-then again the I love my mom I'm not opposed to ;). I brought up morality because I've seen that in some tattoo shops, (yes I have tattoos don't tell they're hidden) they list services for pet ear piercing right next to pet tattooing, so I guess I always associated the two negatively.
**I'd really love to hear how this registry number thing works...is it just a number and phone number for people to call when found? What company or organization is it associated with-I've never heard of the service before-I assume your vet did this?When I went in to the vet to go chipping I was never told about something like this and we discussed how the chip only works if you dog gets scanned (obviously). Seriously I'm interested-partly out of curiosity partially for the possibility of considering have it done. As I said, I have my dogs chipped but have always been concerned that if they are found, someone may not bother to take them where they can be scanned...

My dogs never wear their collars inside the house. Years ago a member of this forum left her yorkie to go out, as we all do, and when she returned she found her baby dead, hanging by the collar which got caught on something. It was a freak accident and absolutely nothing she did. I can see how that can easily happen. I never forgot that.

Sorry, I just couldn't stop the sarcasm - second nature to me! Thanks for explaining the morality part - I can't imagine getting a piercing or tattoo just for the fun of it.

On Mabel's receipt, the tattoo is listed as an avian/exotic tattoo service - it was $15 Can. I think if Mabel gets lost, I assume she would be brought to the vet's or SPCA and they would have info on how to contact the registry. It's also a visible mark that shows that someone wants her back. My vet told me about it when I went to get the blood work done; I wished he told me when Darwin was getting neutered. I've also been told that many shelters will put a green tattoo on an animal before they leave the shelter and most vets would know that means an animal has been spayed or neutered to stop a vet from opening up an animal again. They will do it close to the belly or more commonly on an ear. I really didn't want it on the ear. Hope this helps.

Yes I speak sarcasm too, sometimes (totally gets me in trouble) its hard to pick up on from the net:) I found the national registry here, and yes most of the tattoos I've seen have been the dogs name on their ear etc here's a link in case anyone else is interested. I'm meeting with a new vet and going to inquire about this service during my consult
Welcome To NDR

Thanks for posting the registry site - I think it is a great system - the more the merrier - anything to get our poor little lost pups back home!:thumbup:

Taylor wears his collar and tags 24/7. I always worry that if I left it off for the night and we had a house fire or severe storm, he could get loose and we might never locate him again. That's kinda scary in my mind as I love him so much.

He doesn't seem to mind... in fact it's like his clothes, if you take it off, he bounces all over trying to get it back because it's "his"... lol...

It's interesting reading all the responses on here... :)

Beth and Taylor

Mine wear a tag with his name and my phone number. The city license tag is so ugly and such an eyesore that I took it off. I'm planning to get him another cute tag and put the city name and license number on that. This way he is "legal" but not ugly :D

Hi, in the UK it is not mandatory to give rabies innoculations, unless you are leaving the country and intend on re-entering (the UK PETS scheme is a nightmare system), then it's mandatory. But it is law here that if you take your furbys out (ie for walkies etc) (they must have a tag, which gives owners name and address) we also at present do not have a requirement for micro-chip, but the law is changing on that one, which will be a good thing, even breeders will have to have their puppies micro-chipped before releasing them to their new owners. I do have all my dogs micro-chipped, the two bigger ones have collars with name tags etc, on at all times, but Kiki (Yorkie) does not wear a collar, but a harness, so I really must get one of those soft release collars with a tag on it. Thanks for your reply, it really does bring it home about taking as many precautions as we can to make sure we get them back if ever they get lost or stolen heaven forbid.

I wish it were that easy. :)

please make sure this really is legal because in my county we cannot do this the tag that is printed is the only tag that is allowed to hold that number transferring it is fraud. just call your local auditors office (they have all the dog tag power) and ask. The reason they conceder it fraud it because most offices will sell replacement tags for a quarter.

Most cities here in CA it's an average $50 for the license and $15 for a replacement but you can special order a custom tag for extra money from the local pound (usually pounds meaning animal control office/shelter location) issues the tags.

Just a little tip for those of you who take pictures with your dog's tags on. Smudge out the contact number on them (on the pic after taken) or turn the tag around when taking the pic if you don't want the entire internet to have your contact information. :)