Does your boxer wear his collar at home?
- Thread starter Lava Linda
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skyastara
Guest
As for microchips, I'm probably going to get mine done pretty soon, but I really do not consider this to be a guarantee of return, but more of a good backup. In the first place, even an honest person can very easily decide to keep a dog that they find, and I think that a collar with identifying tags at least helps to minimize this risk because then the person can't easily tell themself that they are not stealing the dog.
Also, even if the dog is taken to the pound, I am sure that very few shelters scan every single dog who comes in, and my dogs are obviously not purebreds. I was at my local shelter a couple of months ago, and there was a dog there who appeared to be a well bred Giant Schnauzer. I asked about him, and one of the officers agreed that he was a Giant. I went home and contacted my nearest Schnauzer Rescue, and it wasn't until they contacted the shelter to ask them to scan him, that this dog was scanned. (He was soon returned to his breeder and put with a good family) This was a dog which was obviously purebred, with a great friendly disposition, whose time was almost up, so I certainly would not expect them to scan Siddartha if he did ever end up there. However, I know that they make contact based on tags.
Also, even if the dog is taken to the pound, I am sure that very few shelters scan every single dog who comes in, and my dogs are obviously not purebreds. I was at my local shelter a couple of months ago, and there was a dog there who appeared to be a well bred Giant Schnauzer. I asked about him, and one of the officers agreed that he was a Giant. I went home and contacted my nearest Schnauzer Rescue, and it wasn't until they contacted the shelter to ask them to scan him, that this dog was scanned. (He was soon returned to his breeder and put with a good family) This was a dog which was obviously purebred, with a great friendly disposition, whose time was almost up, so I certainly would not expect them to scan Siddartha if he did ever end up there. However, I know that they make contact based on tags.
JulieM
Boxer Insane
I don't interact much with shelters - they're notoriously anti-rescue - but if my microchipped dogs were lost, you can bet I'd be there every day checking the dogs that came in, and making sure they were scanning *all* of them. (Calling does not do it, IMO - I know people who called a shelter several times a day for three or four days, asking if a Boxer had been brought in. They were consistently told there was no Boxer there - they decided to stop by anyway, and lo and behold there was their Boxer, on the last day of holding!).
I agree collars may provide a more immediate means of identification - but collars can come off, especially if they're loose enough not to cause a choking hazard. And, many, many people who leave their dogs in fenced yards *with* collars come home to no dog, and a collar thrown in the yard. Collars do not stop thieves. I'm not sure that microchips do, either, but at least they are not easily removable.
As far as why risk it, I could turn it around and say why risk your dog choking to death? As I've said, it's a matter of risk assessment comfort level. I too have screen door openers - why leave the screen available to be opened? We lock the screen door, or close the other door so they aren't able to let themselves out. And most of mine have tried to escape the tub at first, before we got them trained - we just shut the bathroom door. The floor in there may get a little wet the first few times, but the rest of the house stays dry!
Julie
I agree collars may provide a more immediate means of identification - but collars can come off, especially if they're loose enough not to cause a choking hazard. And, many, many people who leave their dogs in fenced yards *with* collars come home to no dog, and a collar thrown in the yard. Collars do not stop thieves. I'm not sure that microchips do, either, but at least they are not easily removable.
As far as why risk it, I could turn it around and say why risk your dog choking to death? As I've said, it's a matter of risk assessment comfort level. I too have screen door openers - why leave the screen available to be opened? We lock the screen door, or close the other door so they aren't able to let themselves out. And most of mine have tried to escape the tub at first, before we got them trained - we just shut the bathroom door. The floor in there may get a little wet the first few times, but the rest of the house stays dry!
Julie
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skyastara
Guest
Julie, I absolutely agree with you about shelters. I used to work with GSD Rescue in San Diego, and we actually had to rotate people to check for dogs, and to adopt them, because the shelters would ban us if they figured out that we were with Rescue. Like we were operating a profitable dog spaying cartel or something :rolleyes:
I did once lose a dog (yes with collar and tags), and until I found him, I was at the shelter every day. In the area in which I lived (No. San Diego County), this involved going to 5 shelters each day. Granted, 2 of them would have been fairly unlikely, but I wasn't taking any chances.
As far as thieves, obviously a collar won't stop someone who is intentionally stealing a dog. I was referring to those people who might find a dog, and tell themselves that they are saving a poor stray dog. Tags do make it harder for this scenario to take place, assuming that the person is at least reasonably honest. In my case, Siddartha has the trimness of a boxer, but otherwise looks like maybe a lab/dane mix, so a person could think that he's been missing meals(I feed him all he wants of a BARF diet, recently changed from a super premium kibble, free-fed), and he gets MUDDY from the creek! By the time he comes home he does look like a stray :p:
I also agree that it's a matter of personal risk assessment. In my particular case, I feel that it's best to leave the collar on, for the tags. Although, perhaps Sid would like a strategic body piercing to attach the tags to?:eek:
I did once lose a dog (yes with collar and tags), and until I found him, I was at the shelter every day. In the area in which I lived (No. San Diego County), this involved going to 5 shelters each day. Granted, 2 of them would have been fairly unlikely, but I wasn't taking any chances.
As far as thieves, obviously a collar won't stop someone who is intentionally stealing a dog. I was referring to those people who might find a dog, and tell themselves that they are saving a poor stray dog. Tags do make it harder for this scenario to take place, assuming that the person is at least reasonably honest. In my case, Siddartha has the trimness of a boxer, but otherwise looks like maybe a lab/dane mix, so a person could think that he's been missing meals(I feed him all he wants of a BARF diet, recently changed from a super premium kibble, free-fed), and he gets MUDDY from the creek! By the time he comes home he does look like a stray :p:
I also agree that it's a matter of personal risk assessment. In my particular case, I feel that it's best to leave the collar on, for the tags. Although, perhaps Sid would like a strategic body piercing to attach the tags to?:eek:
JulieM
Boxer Insane
Body piercing for dogs....only in California 
Can you imagine? Of course, they already give bulls noserings - why not a dog or two? It could be really fun with the hairy breeds, 'cause they could have the spiked hairdos, too!!! And people think tattooing a dog would hurt! I've got a tattoo, and will probably get more, but NO WAY would I get a body piercing!
(On a more serious note, that would scare me worse than a collar - if those tags got caught in something and the dog tried to pull itself loose? Makes me shudder just thinking about it!)
Julie
Can you imagine? Of course, they already give bulls noserings - why not a dog or two? It could be really fun with the hairy breeds, 'cause they could have the spiked hairdos, too!!! And people think tattooing a dog would hurt! I've got a tattoo, and will probably get more, but NO WAY would I get a body piercing!(On a more serious note, that would scare me worse than a collar - if those tags got caught in something and the dog tried to pull itself loose? Makes me shudder just thinking about it!)
Julie
Muggsie's Momma
Boxer Pal
Muggsie loves her collar. In fact, she freaks out when I take if off of her. I think she likes the jingle noise her tags make. Sometimes she gets excited cause she knows it's bath time!
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skyastara
Guest
Yes, it would be more or less like a dewclaw in a REALLY bad spot. But the piercing itself is really not so bad. I have 2 tattoos, 11 holes in one ear, and my nose and tongue used to be pierced(I took them out before my son was born. Babies love to grab shiny things). None of them really hurt more than an ear piercing, but my body had sort of a shock response to the tongue one.
And yes, Julie, I do live in California, in a very artsy community:D
And yes, Julie, I do live in California, in a very artsy community:D
Lava Linda
Completely Boxer Crazy
skyastara,
Don't pull that "holier than thou" crap with me.
Don't pull that "holier than thou" crap with me.
B
Badassboxer
Guest
Off subject: Awesome! I love body art! I have three tats oops four, and a tongue pierce, I have a beauty mark or I would do my nose, and I am considering my chin. After my upcoming surgery, I will have the tat on my chest redone.
On subject: Debo wears his collar all the time unless the doors are closed and we are not expecting anyone to come in and out of the house. That's because once he jumped the fence - you just never know. Debo's not chipped and I would never get him tattooed. A body piercing? Maybe, he'd have to sign a waiver!
Could you imagine a nose hoop on your dog! NOT! 
Bismarck always wears his collar excepted for the bath time.
Olly
Olly
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