Cross Breeds

Have you people really never heard of tattoo'ing a dog?

I asked the question about getting mine tattooed and got some fairly disturbing answers. First of all, of COURSE she always has her collars and tags on---I thought that part would be implied, but evidently not. Collars can be removed or fall off. (duh!) And tattoos on dogs are certainly not insane.....many show dogs, police search and rescue dogs, racing greyhounds, hunting dogs, and even dogs adopted from some pounds are often tattooed. I would not brand my dog (as one poster suggested) because THAT is insane. I had my horse freeze-branded because I wanted a visible deterrent for thieves, but I don't intend to do that to my 10-pound Dachshund. I want her to have the same type of tattoo as many other dogs have for the purpose of identification should she become stolen or lost. Micro chips are not 100% fool-proof because not all scanners are compatible. So, if you've never heard of dog tattoos, don't be so quick to squash the person asking the question. So....one more time....does the vet do this or do I have to take her to a specialist? If you don't know the answer, please do a bit of thinking before commenting. It's a virtually painless procedure, less than the large-bore needle used to insert the micro-chip, so spare me the comments about cruelty. I DID get some good answers too and, for those, I am thankful. I just wish some people would use a little common sense before commenting. V....would you like someone to "spay" you against your will? I didnt think so....but sometimes it's neccesary. Valerie....because if she's lost and her collar is off, what good would it for me to post LOST signs that say "red Dachshund----looks like all other red Dachshunds"...? Bex....I keep asking (only twice) because I dont believe I have to settle for uneducated and belittling answers. Also I dont want opinions....I asked for answers. There's a difference.

Public Comments

1. yes, i've heard of it. but i dont see the reason. if your dog is micro chipped, and has its tags. then why make your dog get tattooed? if it hurts humans, it hurts dogs.
2. I've heard of it, but I wouldn't do it. The dog has no choice in the matter.....would you like someone to hold you down and tattoo you? I don't think so.
3. I have heard of it.. but you rarely hear of anyone actually getting tattoos done anymore. Avid and Homeagain chips are compatable, and most shelters have scanners for both. try contacting NDR, as well as vets in your area to see if they know who does it. and to those who say its painful.. no it is NOT. The ink is not injected as deeply into the skin.. it has to be done more deeply on humans because our skin is more uneven.
4. If you don't like the answers you receive from here, why do you bother to keep asking?? Ask your vet, and see what they say, they are the best person to ask, not random strangers who you don't seem to want honest opinions from anyway.
5. My son has a Cane Corso that has been tattooed. Problem is that the older the dog gets the harder it is to read the tattoo. We can only read two digits with any clarity. The tattoo is useless.
6. Hi Try this site for starters, or google tattoo a dog. http://www.tattoo-a-pet.com/ Best of luck, Rebel
7. My dogs are tattoed. People think it is done the way a human gets a tattoo. All the letters and digits are placed on a clamp. Inside ear shave and sterilized, Vegetable dye is then placed on the clamp With one clamping.. it is done.. and the dog hardly feels a thing. It is the equivalent of having your ear piereced. There may be a few drops of blood. Then the tatooist rubs more vegetable dye on the dogs ear. For 4 hours no licking by other pets allowed. Keep dry for 14 days. In fact within hours you start to see the tattoo appear. And yes, It works well.. I had one situation where someone tried to claim my dog was his. I asked if his dog had any identification like chip or tattoo.. No he said, I showed him the tattoo and told him to call the tattoo data base up and ask when the dog with those digits and letters was registered. He promptly said ooo it's not my dog. If that had been based on the chip , we may have had the police involved. My re homed dogs, who escape their yards, or get lost, have all been located by the dog warden who was able to contact me, because of the tattoo. As individuals we cannot go out and buy scanners to check for chips. Even then we would need more than one kind because they don't all read, all the different kinds of chips. The tattoo is visual.. Easy to read and gets your dog back to you quicker. The lady who tattoos in my area is actually a dog warden. In UK some vets tattoo, not many. Your vet or kennel club will know a number to contact for a tattooist
8. My chihuahua[who just passed away =[ was tattood, but it was way before i had any say in it. I recieved her as a puppy that way. She was a newborn puppy when they did it, and they used a topical anesthetic. The breeder assured us that the puppy could barely even feel it, and it is ALOT less painful then the recovery of getting fixed. Also, they did it on her stomach, which is away from any bones. Anybody who has had a tattoo will tell you its not even that bad when the tattoo is away from bones and is only on flesh. if you ask me, spaying is worse than tattooing. I dont think its any worse than vaccinating your animal, and thats nessicary! I also believe a few minutes of tattooing is much better than the animal becoming lost, and hungry, and cold, or sold as a research subject. anyways, that was about 17 years ago, and the breeder did it herself [she was a vet tech] but tattoos can still be very helpful if they are of good quality and dont fade. By the time my chihuahua was 8 years old, you could barely even see the tattoo, and it was virtually non-existant by the time she hit 10. so its not just a one time thing, it would need to be touched up every few years to remain legible. [or at lease thats how it used to be!] [PS, microchipping is very painless as well! have you watched the procedure? the puppys dont even notice it!] Tattoo can also be EXTREMELY helpful in case of a lost dog that is sold to a research facility. If the facility is found to have a tattood dog registered with the AKC they will lose their licence. NOW to answer your question, MOST vets do it. MOST. not all, but there are ALOT of reputable pet tattooing agencys you could look into also .Its actually i very common procedure. i would start by calling the vets in your area to ask if they do the procedure, and if not ask them if they have any reccomendations. .
9. yes my vet does the freeze and other on the inside of the hind leg or the inside of the ear with the ink the freeze tattoo goes on the outside of the right hind leg or on the top of the neck under the collar...
10. One of my dogs has a tattoo and I want to get my others done. She went to a show where they had tattoo's being done. For those people that do not know, it is not the same as a human tattoo. It does not go as deep. My dog did not even flinch when she had it done. I had her AKC # put on her. Many people put the microchip # as well. I show agility dogs and at trials, my dogs can not wear collars when they run. If something happens and they were to run off, they would have no identification. And I have seen this happen to many people at trials. So yes, my dogs are tattooed and am planning on doing my newer dog as soon as I can find a clinic for it. Check out NDR, National Dog Registry. I think they have a place there where you can find someone who does tattoos. Then you can contact that person to find out the next location they will be at. My horses were also freeze branded!
11. rotflmao.......darlin',99% of folks here are TO-THE-BONE ignorant...besides stupid & AR-brainwashed wusses. Of course they "haven't heard" of ANYTHING beyond "feed it goodies & wuv it"!! ANYBODY w/a tat gun can & **WILL** TAT A DOG!!!! On the belly-NOT an ear=ears can be CUT OFF!!! No special tool,no drugs...just someone w/brains enough to HOLD it still. BEEN THERE,DONE THAT!!!
12. Sorry, but most of the tattoos I have seen couldn't even be read by my vet. Just a sloppy process. What is wrong with a microchip? And you are wrong about scanners not being compatible. That was true when they were first developed, but most vet clinics and pounds have a universal scanner now that will detect every brand, so no excuses there. In rescue, we have all of our dogs microchipped, and there is no more pain involved than a vaccination, or maybe a tattoo?