Woman who never stopped updating her lost dog's chip reunites with him after 11y (cbc.ca)

by gnabgib 167 comments 223 points
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167 comments

[−] arjie 51d ago
I wear one of these chips on my wristwatch since the 125 kHz RFID lets me open doors and use the elevator in my building without needing to pull out my keys. It’s entirely passive so I’m guessing that the chip in question carries an ID that is read by a reader and points to an ID on some pet identification database. So she was “updating the chip” less and “keeping the database up to date” more.

Ubiquitous microchips are really quite amazing.

[−] mcpherrinm 51d ago
Yes, it's just a number referenced in one of a few databases.

> The 15-digit pet microchip is the international standard (see ISO 11784:1996 and ISO 11785:1996)

https://www.aaha.org/for-veterinary-professionals/microchip-...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_11784_and_ISO_11785

[−] ThePowerOfFuet 51d ago

>the international standard

Except the United States, because of course.

ISO is 134 kHz, US has both 125 and 128 kHz.

[−] random3 50d ago
lol - the long tail of international standard dissent in US
[−] zoklet-enjoyer 51d ago
I've had one in my hand for 12 years. It has my contact card on it.
[−] randerson 51d ago
I'm not even sure which of many questions to ask first..

- Are you a furry?

- Do you tend to wander off and forget who you are?

- Who would think to scan a human for a chip?

- Is this a common thing to do and I just don't know it?

- Did you put the chip there or did someone else?

- Or was it some kind of freak accident?

[−] rimunroe 51d ago
You can inject these things pretty easily. They're about the size of a grain of rice, and pretty popular in some circles.
[−] zoklet-enjoyer 51d ago
Hahaha definitely not a furry. I had some magnets implanted and was looking into other subtle body mods and thought an NFC chip would be fun. I bought the magnets and the chip from dangerousthings.com

I went to a piercing shop to get it done by a guy who does silicone implants and other less common body modifications.

It's not common. The only other people I've met with chips are the guy who implanted it and my girlfriend at the time.

I have considered getting a newer model implanted and using that to badge in at work and home, but I'd likely have to travel halfway across the country to get it done.

[−] Rebelgecko 51d ago
* they're definitely disproportionately common in the furry community but not really a "furry thing"

I think most people use them as a backup work badge or controlling other RFID readers (car key, smart lock, etc). Or as a party trick

It's not particularly common but I've met other people.

Some people selfinject but it's probably more common to go to like a tattoo parlor or body mod shop

[−] nickthegreek 51d ago
21 years in my right hand. Sadly, they weren't writable back then, so it is just a static number.
[−] arjie 51d ago
Haha, mine is meant to fit in the webbing between thumb and index finger, but I just have a little 3d-printed attachment that holds it to my watch. Didn't have the balls to go the whole way.
[−] emmelaich 51d ago
I remember https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Oxer getting one in 2008. Quite the pioneer.
[−] thebruce87m 51d ago
What would happen if you needed an MRI?
[−] throwaway290 51d ago
Thanks it was super confusing until this.
[−] TuringNYC 51d ago
Thanks for the heartwarming story, loved it! Quite a nice change from all the depressing news otherwise.
[−] thelastgallon 51d ago

> her beloved pit bull, Forty-Cal, had been missing for 11 years.

> He's super docile and friendly. Always has been.

Are pit bulls known for being docile?

[−] EGreg 51d ago
Can someone here explain what she was updating? If her dog wasn't nearby, what does it mean to "update his chip"?
[−] olalonde 51d ago
I wonder how the dog survived for 11 years... Surely he wasn't a stray that entire time?
[−] ViktorRay 51d ago
These microchips are amazing technology.

I highly highly encourage all you pet lovers to obtain one for your little homie.

You never know when you’ll need it.

[−] alkyon 51d ago
Reminds me of this superb part of the Odyssey where Odysseus is reunited with his dog, Argos, after 20 years of absence. Odysseus was in disguise, but it's only him that could pass the test and recognize the returning king, after which he died.

https://scaife.perseus.org/reader/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0012.t...

[−] zzzeek 51d ago
was the dog a stray for 11 years? or just owned by someone? I'm not following what actually happened
[−] Markoff 51d ago
"She brought him into the house with her parents and they made him some hotdogs."

Is it common in US to feed dogs with hotdogs?

[−] jeffrallen 51d ago
I received an email about a lost dog 10 years after I adopted her and then gave her to another family. They got her back!

Databases work!

[−] sillysaurusx 51d ago
I don't think it's legally required for vets to check chips whenever new "owners" take them in for a visit. I've been holding out hope for reuniting with my missing cat Salt, but wherever he is, he's happily in someone else's living room. And I doubt the microchip will bring him back anytime soon.

Sadly cat snatching is a real thing that's happened to me possibly twice. The first time was confirmed beyond a doubt; I had to bust out my cat from her back porch at 2am or so when I was roaming the neighborhood looking for him. The only reason I was even in the vicinity was that it was the last spot the GPS tracker reported before he went missing.

"Keep your pets indoors, then!" Yeah, yeah. The risks come with the territory. But my boy Pepper is still with me after a couple years, and I'm hoping a tag with "I have a happy home" followed by my number will keep would-be "do-gooders" away. (A lot of these crazy folks that snatch pets think they're doing the pet a favor by taking them.)

Miss you Salt.

Anyway, the point is, if vets were legally required to actually check the chips when they're brought in for appiontments, they'd quickly notice the discrepancy. They're the only entity in the world in a position to do something about it. But what vet is gonna try to take "your" pet away from you when you take them in just because of mismatched chips? Nobody, because pets are property, and that would be theft according to the law.

[−] tha_hnrain 51d ago
I don't mean to sound snarky, but I wonder if people would feel the same joy if they found their lost children after a long time, or if the joy would be muddled quickly due to complicated relationships :'( . We are a very peculiar species.
[−] _doctor_love 51d ago
Microchipping dogs makes a lot of sense. What are the privacy concerns though? If someone wants to hunt a person down, I imagine the microchips in the dogs would make a great tracking device.
[−] aaron695 51d ago
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[−] aucisson_masque 51d ago

>I had other animals in the house, as well, that were family pets, but Forty was my dog," she said. "I paid for him with my own money at 16 years old."

... I don't if it's an American thing but it's not something I'd say. The dog is an animal, it feels like it's compared to a car that she paid with HER OWN MONEY and then was stolen..

Tell me you loved him, it was the one you loved the most, stuffs like that but 'i paid for it with my own money'... She might as well has bought an iphone.