Having your Havanese breeder or your vet microchip your new puppy could be one of the best decisions you ever make for your dog.

Microchipping is the process of placing a very small identification chip in between the shoulder blades of your Havanese puppy. The procedure is quick, lasting only a few seconds, and is very similar to giving a vaccination.  Your puppy’s microchip number is then registered in a national database showing you as the owner.

Microchip placed next to a dime.

Most vets and all animal control shelters carry microchip scanners and it is standard protocol for animal control shelters to scan each animal that is recovered to see if it has been microchipped.

Microchip scanner

Here are three reasons to consider having your Havanese puppy microchipped.

1. It is a permanent means of identification.

ID tags can get lost, chewed off, or may be deliberately removed if your dog is stolen.  Getting your puppy tattooed is a permanent ID option but it is much more complicated and expensive than microchipping.  A microchip is permanent, easy, and inexpensive, and it can not be removed without surgery.

2. It proves that you own your dog.

Havanese dogs are highly desirable and are extremely sweet to boot. If someone finds your Havanese and there is a dispute over who is the rightful owner, a microchip registration will settle it. There are also numerous cases of stolen pets being returned to their rightful owners, even years later, because the owner had microchipped their pet and a vet or animal control center ran a microchip scan.

3. It drastically improves the chances of recovering your Havanese should you become separated.

Without a proper identification only 10% of lost animals are recovered by their owners.  Microchipping your Havanese will greatly improve your chances of recovery should you and your dog become separated.  It also provides peace of mind knowing that if someone scans your dog you will be contacted.

Here at KASE Havanese we recommend that you register your microchip information in the national database, at your local animal control shelter (they will check the national database but registering with them may help streamline the process), and at your local vet. We also recommend using an additional collar ID tag with your phone number so that if someone finds your Havanese they can call you to return it.