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Brrrb Oregon
09-18-2006, 16:53
Does anyone have special hiking ID tags for their dog companions?....with the contact information for someone who knows where you are and when you're expected back? E-mail address? Webpage?

In other words, what do you put on your dog's ID that isn't there when you're home?

Do you have any stories about what works and doesn't work to help you reunite with a pet lost on a hiking trail?

Cuffs
09-18-2006, 17:11
Not hiking with a dog, but this got me thinking... Those little tag-making kiosks at the pet supply stores might be a good option... Name and number(s) of someone not hiking to contact. And they're only a couple dollars each.

boarstone
09-18-2006, 17:25
It does neither you/your dog good to have tags that list YOU for contact...think about it...where on the AT is anyone going to contact you?..list a ground base/landline where someone whom you will be in contact with on a regular basis regardless where your at on the AT...so long as phone service is available...forewarded info can be either sent to you or you can call to connect...:)

plydem
09-18-2006, 17:28
A while ago, we decided that we might want to get some information on our dogs that was more than just a tag with our home number and address. We found these little canisters at EMS or something that had a gasket sealed top. The canisters were about an inch long and a quarter inch in diameter. You can print something up and roll it up real small and put it in there. Kind of like the note in the bottle idea. We could fit medical and behavior information on there as well.

As far as stories about reuniting dogs with owners, that's a tough one. I volunteer at a dog shelter and we get so many dogs that never get reclaimed. I think people don't realize just how far a dog can go in a short period of time. The main thing is to contact every Animal Control authority in a very large radius (at least 30 miles) of where your dog is lost. A tag is a great thing and we can often find the owner if there is any kind of tag (rabies, town or ID). Another possibility is the ID chip. The problem there is not every shelter will have a reader.

Hope this helps.

plydem
09-18-2006, 17:29
By the way, the canisters had a ring on top so they could be attached to the collar - forgot to mention that little detail.

Cuffs
09-18-2006, 17:32
PLY, in Geocaching, we call them Bison Tubes... They are handy and you could list a lot more info on a rolled up sheet of paper inside. Good thinking!!!!

boarstone
09-18-2006, 17:50
Thought about training your dog to respond to a common comand so it will hold still long enough for someone to READ a tag on where ever it is? And practice with all those "foreigners" that 'It' will encounter? One word? Two?....:)

Chip
09-18-2006, 18:10
My dogs name and my phone number are sewn into the webbing of her collar. Tags can be lost. Some people tatoo their info on their dogs hind leg (underside). :)

Brrrb Oregon
09-18-2006, 18:25
PLY, in Geocaching, we call them Bison Tubes... They are handy and you could list a lot more info on a rolled up sheet of paper inside. Good thinking!!!!

You know, if the owner wrote down name, planned hiking route, etc., and the name and contact information for their groundbase/landline person then if a) you, Timmy, fall in the well and your Lassie is found first, it would help rescuers find you, and if b) you, Timmy, are unresponsive or making no sense when you are air-lifted out, your rescuers will know who to call to come and get Lassie for you.

The contact person wouldn't even have to be the person who has agreed to come to your dog's rescue. They would only have to know who that was and how to get in touch with them.

Brrrb Oregon
09-18-2006, 18:28
By the way (and I have never thought of any of this before now), do you carry dated information in your wallet when you hike that lists who you are hiking with, where your group is headed, and the description of any pets you have along, including any contact information needed for the pets?

Rouen
09-18-2006, 22:17
I think the only 100% acurate way is the way that sounds the most painful for the animal, that is tattoo.
because there are different types of micro chips available and some areas have certain ones that they use, like here vets will only give home again chips, where as say somewhere down south they use avid, those avid scanners wont pick up the home again chips.

I always have rabies tags on my dogs, I keep my address UTD with my vet and someone is always here, the sewn into the collar thing sounds good, the other thing you can do it buy a metal plate that wraps around the collar itself that contains your/or your friends/familys contact info.

Phreak
09-23-2006, 23:41
I have tags for both dogs from Boomerang Tags. I have "If I'm alone, I'm lost. Please call or email. All shots are current" on one side, the other has her name, my cell number, my wife's cell number and two email addresses, and city and state.

frieden
09-28-2006, 23:36
Ed's chip is registered to my sister, so if something happens to me, they'll call her. He also carries my medical information, so if he is found without me, hopefully they'll wonder where I am.

OT - Well, I made it to CA, but I don't have reliable Internet yet, so I'll have to rely on the library to keep up here. Thanks for your patience!

superman
12-08-2006, 19:25
Before Winter and I left for the AT I had the vet insert a chip in her back. It's still there and I've had the contact information kept current. Winter has hiked on the AT, FT, PCT, LT and others but she never strayed form me.
The only time she ever wandered off was when I was doing work on my sons house in Somerville, MA last summer. She'd layed where ever I was working for 3 days. I was trying to get it done to go back home and I didn't realize she wasn't there. It was dark when I finaly finished and realized Winter was gone. I went nuts running around the block yelling for her. My son had the presents of mind to call the police. They told us not to worry, my vet from New Hampshire had called them. Winter just went for a walk and crossed Union Square (heavy traffic). She walked into a Mexican restaurant. Apparently she knew enough spanish to order some chiken and rice. The owner let her stay until closing time and since no one came for her he took her to his home. I had to stay over til the next day. Everyone enjoyed Winters visit and quickly learned that all they had to do was talk to her as if she were human. The restaurant owner's friend, who is a carpenter, took Winter to work on a church for the day. Finally I was able to get Winter back later in the day. The point of all this is that it was the tag that my vet gave me with his phone number on it that got Winter back. The town tag just has the town name but not the state and a number that is meaningless except to the town clerk. Winter was found by a realy nice guy who did the right thing. It could have ended a lot worse.