 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
A pet recovery service is a service that has been created for the specific purpose of reuniting lost or stolen pets with their owners. [1]
 | This section needs additional citations for verification .(February 2019) |
A wide variety of pet recovery services exist, such as online services to search for lost pets. [2] Less traditional services for searching for lost pets include the use of a bloodhound, a pet detective, [3] or sites that offer a bulk-calling computer that can quickly alert neighbors by phone.
Forms of external identification include collar tags with identifying information, or QR codes with the pet information or pet recovery service information. The pet could be tracked through a service toll-free number or web address on the tag; the service accesses the pet and owner information in a database via a number or QR code. Some pet identification tags include the owner's address or phone number which can be used to reunite the pet with its owner. There are also registry database services based on tattoo registries.
Collar-attached electronic tracking devices are used by recovery service providers to reunite the pet with its owner. The contract may also include recovery services, which eliminates any need to rely on a stranger encountering the pet. However, at least one device also calls for help from anyone nearby. This depends on whether the device is GPS, radio, or Bluetooth. [4]
Since the early 1990s, the under-skin I.D. tag or microchip implant has been promoted as a solution for pet recovery that does not require a collar. Veterinary services, animal shelters, and even some individuals have chip scanners. [5] In the U.S. such services are unregulated, and several types of chips have emerged with only some adhering to the pertinent ISO standards, ISO 11784 and ISO 11785. Originally each type had its scanner with no ability to read or even detect other types. However, there is a move toward universal scanners able to read all types. But unlike the identifying collar tags mentioned above, the appropriate database keeper cannot always be determined from the ID number, complicating the task of returning the pet to its owner. [6]
As an aid to the pet finder in this situation, chip registry metasearch engines have been established. Two that have been available at least since 2003 are Europetnet, which has a large number of participating European registries, and Petmaxx, a worldwide registry service. In 2009, the metasearch engine, sponsored by the American Animal Hospital Association, [7] was put online. Most of the major U.S. registries are now participants.[ citation needed ]
Pets are reunited with their owners by the stray pet's code whose information is accessed via a database. The services are only accessed where chip registry services have decided to interface with metasearch engine services.
Successful metasearch engines connect to all the available registries and can help the pet finder or dog warden find the one registry that has an owner record for a found stray. A potential downfall is that if the pet's information is not registered with all databases, a thief can steal the animal using the 'secure and tamper-proof' ID device. Then, they can register the stolen pet with another database and sell the animal, transferring an apparent clear title in the form of a login account at, or registration document from, the second registry.
A drawback with metasearch engines is that many shelters do not have the resources to search registry sites for owner information once they access the chip number. The chip number may simply be entered in the paperwork, never contacting the owner.[ citation needed ]
To ensure lost pets are reunited with their owner, it is best to have them microchipped and to register them with the chip manufacturer and/or one of the chip-agnostic recovery Pet recovery services. An implantable chip is more secure than a collar tag because the chip cannot be moved between pets or lost, as can a collar tag. A typical pet microchip registration costs $25 to $100 per year and it is incumbent upon the owner to maintain the accuracy of the database in the event of a move or change in contact information. To remind pet owners to check and update their information, the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association have established August 15 as Check a Chip Day. [8]
Registering and keeping the owner's contact information up to date is a problem facing the pet microchip industry. Without up-to-date information, a lost pet is less likely to be returned to its owner. According to an Ohio State University study, the main reasons owners aren't found for lost pets included incorrect or disconnected phone numbers (35.4%), owner's failure to return phone calls or respond to letters (24.3%), unregistered microchips (9.8%) or microchips registered in a database that differed from the manufacturer (17.2%). [9] At a mostly yearly, subscription cost to the owner, each microchip manufacturer maintains their registration database. However, these registration databases only hold information related to the chips they manufacture. This requires a pet finder that does not know who the manufacturer is to search multiple sources to report a found pet. There are free registration databases available such as those at Veripet's Rabies Reader Page and Found Animals Microchip Registry are chip manufacture agnostic.
A recovery database of last resort at the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) provides a lookup tool that will redirect a user to the manufacturer's recovery desk. However, they do not supply owner information or notifications to them. AAHA works only with those manufacturers and recovery services that provide a hotline where a pet finder can report a found pet.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an annual event which predates the official forming of the AKC, the National Dog Show and the AKC National Championship. The AKC is a non-member partner with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. The AKC recognizes 200 dog breeds, as of 2022.
Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver, and a transmitter. When triggered by an electromagnetic interrogation pulse from a nearby RFID reader device, the tag transmits digital data, usually an identifying inventory number, back to the reader. This number can be used to track inventory goods.
Identification tag may refer to:
A microchip implant is an identifying integrated circuit placed under the skin of an animal. The chip, about the size of a large grain of rice, uses passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, and is also known as a PIT tag. Standard pet microchips are typically 11–13 mm long and 2 mm in diameter.
A kennel is a structure or shelter for dogs. Used in the plural, the kennels, the term means any building, collection of buildings or a property in which dogs are housed, maintained, and bred. A kennel can be made out of various materials, the most popular being wood and canvas.
A pet shop or pet store is an essential services retailer which sells animals and pet care resources to the public. A variety of animal supplies and pet accessories are also sold in pet shops. The products sold include: food, treats, toys, collars, leashes, cat litter, cages and aquariums.
Noah's Wish was a charity that rescues and takes care of animals endangered by natural disasters.
An ear tag is a plastic or metal object used for identification of domestic livestock and other animals. If the ear tag uses Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) technology it is referred to as an electronic ear tag. Electronic ear tags conform to international standards ISO 11784 and ISO 11785 working at 134.2 kHz, as well as ISO/IEC 18000-6C operating in the UHF spectrum. There are other non-standard systems such as Destron working at 125 kHz. Although there are many shapes of ear tags, the main types in current use are as follows:
A dog licence is required in some jurisdictions to be the keeper of a dog. Usually a dog-licence identifying number is issued to the owner, along with a dog tag bearing the identifier and a contact number for the registering organization. If a stray pet is found with the tag, a rescuer can call the registering organization to get current contact information for the animal.
The National Animal Identification System, (naisG) is a government-run program in the United States intended to extend government animal health surveillance by identifying and tracking specific animals. Administered at the federal level by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture, NAIS will also be overseen by state animal health boards. While the federal program is voluntary, money received by some states, tribes, and non-profit entities from the USDA through cooperative agreements has been used to make parts or all of the program mandatory.
A dog tag, cat tag, pet ID tag, or pet tag is a small flat tag worn on pets' collars or harnesses.
Petfinder is an internet company that operates the largest online pet adoption website serving all of North America. The company reports that it currently lists “more than 315,000 adoptable pets from nearly 14,000 animal shelters and rescue groups.” A commercial enterprise founded in 1996, it is now owned by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company and reports that it has facilitated more than 22 million pet adoptions as of 2013. Most of the pets listed on Petfinder are dogs and cats, but they list all types of animals available from shelters and rescue groups, from small fish, reptiles and birds to horses and livestock.
GPS animal tracking is a process whereby biologists, scientific researchers, or conservation agencies can remotely observe relatively fine-scale movement or migratory patterns in a free-ranging wild animal using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and optional environmental sensors or automated data-retrieval technologies such as Argos satellite uplink, mobile data telephony or GPRS and a range of analytical software tools.
The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is a non-profit organization for companion animal veterinary hospitals. Established in 1933, the association is the only accrediting body for small animal hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. The association develops standards for veterinary business practices, publications, and educational programs. Any veterinary hospital can join AAHA as a member, but must then pass an evaluation in order to receive AAHA accreditation.
Street dogs, commonly soi dogs in Thailand, are ownerless, free-ranging dogs. These dogs are sometimes rounded up and sold as meat in Vietnam and China. It is estimated that there are about 8.5 million dogs in Thailand, of which about 730,000 are abandoned by their owners. Bangkok alone is estimated to have from 100,000 to 300,000 street dogs. Few have been vaccinated against canine diseases.
Bike registries are databases of unique, identifying information about bicycles and their ownership. Most registration programs use the unique serial numbers which are permanently affixed to most bicycles during manufacture.
petkey is a pet recovery service based in the United States, available in North America. It is the largest non microchip manufacturer owned pet recovery service. Upon enrollment, a pet's information is documented including the pet's photograph, description and emergency contact information. If the pet has a microchip implant, that number is also documented. When a registered pet is lost or stolen the service sends a bulletin to members, shelter groups, veterinary clinics, trainers, pet supply retailers, and grooming shops in a 50-mile (80 km) radius of the pet's last known location.
A human microchip implant is any electronic device implanted subcutaneously (subdermally) usually via an injection. Examples include an identifying integrated circuit RFID device encased in silicate glass which is implanted in the body of a human being. This type of subdermal implant usually contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in an external database, such as identity document, criminal record, medical history, medications, address book, and other potential uses.
Animal identification using a means of marking is a process done to identify and track specific animals. It is done for a variety of reasons including verification of ownership, biosecurity control, and tracking for research or agricultural purposes.
The Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital (ADFH) is the first public medical institution exclusively for falcons in the United Arab Emirates. Established by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and opened on 3 October 1999, Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital has become the largest falcon hospital in the UAE and in the world with a patient influx of approximately 11,000 falcons per year. The ADFH describes their mission as a goal "To protect, conserve, research, and promote captive-bred and wild falcons health, wildlife, and falconry tradition. To lead efforts of Abu Dhabi government to improve and protect animal welfare and to increase awareness and responsibility of people for animal welfare as the leading center for animal healthcare and welfare in Abu Dhabi Emirate."