Montreal Berger Blanc - is this true??

Last week when I had lost my puppy-girl, I phone up Berger Blanc and asked if they checked for microchips when pets were brought in. The impatient woman who answered the phone said "NO", I asked why not since all owner information is imbedded on that chip, and she replied "we just don't do that, you have to come check in person to see if your pet is here, we don't call people"... I was dumbfounded. I mean WTF is a microchip good for, if pounds and shelters don't scan them??

can someone please tell me this employee/ volunteer was misinformed?
:mad:

I've heard that too... They always say go see...

That does seem a little backwards. Maxwell has a chip so that if he goes missing they can scan it and he can come home. How sad is that? I kind of frightens me to think that I could lose my pet even if I have tried to take steps against this.

Could it be because the scanners are too expensive?

When I went up there to look for Simon last year, they had cats for adoption wearing TAGS. Maybe they were outdated, but without exception??

I didn't bother chipping my dog, since most of the vets around here, and the shelters either don't have the equipment or just don't scan.

i find that really pathetic :(

with today's technology permitting people to permanently & safely "identify" their pets, and paying for this privilege too... why WOULDN'T a simple scan procedure be adopted by all vets, shelters, pounds, etc? i thought these people were caring and committed to saving pets and returning them to their owners?

:eek:

The scanners are very expensive, not all animal shelters have the money to buy one. Also, not every chip can be detected by a certain scanner, so multiple scanners may be needed.

but the standard Avid microchip can be read by most scanners, and the Avid scanner is about $300... that is NOT alot of money if it would send more pets home instead of the cremation chamber :eek:

http://www.avidmicrochip.com/:
AVID® is the most cross compatible microchip system in the United States. You decide if you want to be able to read more than one brand of chip, or if you just need to read your own AVID chips (and not all others). You can purchase the MiniTracker that reads ONLY the AVID® SecureChip. Or you can purchase the MiniTracker Multi, which reads both of our chips and several other brands of chips as well.

Vets who sell microchips have scanners, so it's the pounds and shelters that need to get equipped and start dealing with today's technology. After all, isn't that what they are there for? to help bring pets home?

Not all SPCA'S euthanise, we NEVER send any animals to the cremation! 300.00 is not alot of money for me personally, but it's alot of money for some shelters or rescues who do not have alot of money.

Most people we run into, don't want to pay for a simple tag for their dog or their spaying neutering. I don't see them paying money to chip their dog. Which is true! I always tell people who chip their dog, put a tag on their animal as well so it can be visually seen.

I agree though, places should have the scanners but again it comes down to budget for other places :(

Maybe instead of donating cash to these places, people can donate scanners!! (or if short on money, get a few people to go in on it).

as with anything, education is the key... gotta make the public aware this technology exists, perhaps collect funds to purchase scanners for the shelters or find sponsors, you buy one and it's good for years for all the strays that come in... it would be great if VETS pushed microchipping too, i mean it's $80 for the whole thing and last the life of your pet... it was a small price to pay for my peace of mind, both dogs' tags say "microchipped pet" just in case... but heck if nobody cares about scanning, what's the point? :confused:

my vet told me there are to many scannr and chips and they dont all work together so at this point its not worth chipping. in her opinion. what if they said they scaned and it turns out thier reader just didn't pick up your chip... then you would think they didn't find your baby when really they did.

Our HS here in Oakville check for chips right away .
I called HS after I took in a young cat a few years ago and the girl from HS that came to pick him up had a scanner and we called the owners right away,from my house,the owner still had to pay $20:D
I know of 2 other instances where cats were reunited with their owners because of microchips.
My cats are not microchipped,since they do not go outside unsupervised,but they have collars with tags.

There are now universal chip readers that work for north america and europe no matter the chip. They cost $400 and do read every chip. We purchased one for our own vet's office as he had a really old one. SPCA scans all the dogs that arrive as strays. Berger Blanc is a city holding so they don't even try to find the owners. Always pray if your dog gets lost that it never ends up there.

the gripe i have is... they have monopoly over the entire eastern half of the island :( when my pup was lost and i called the closest spca (jean-talon & decarie), they said i was in the BB's "jurisdiction" and there was nothing they could do... does this mean i should move??? :eek:

POMERANIEN CROISÉ,M,10 SEM, 2000$ That was directly off their website
Are they in it for the money or what....They are loads of crap

That can't be right. Must be 200$ No doubt someone will jump on that to start their very own backyard breeding operation.

They say one of their "partners" is Anima Quebec. Interesting....

I am new to this forum, but have followed it for a long time. I live close to the Berger Blanc and like BMDLuver said, it's a business. Dogs are sold all prices depending on the breed and age. Sometimes $50.00 sometimes $400.00 (uneutered!). They have bothered me in the past because I foster (puppies) and have 2 dogs of my own (max. of 2 in this area). Unfortunately everyone in my area goes there to buy a dog...a shame!! Everyone who I have known, who have lost a dog in this area..never find him again. Lots of work to the in this area.

OMG,what kind of place is this:confused: are they privately run or an SPCA??
All the posts I've read about them,they certainly do no seem to be there to protect animals or care very much whether the animals live or die.
Something is very wrong here:evil:

They are truly weird. I adopted a dog from there. I asked about how it was "found" - how long it waited there to be looked for, they said it had no tags and no one came looking for it for 2 weeks. I asked about microchip - they said they don't check for it, they don't have the equipment - expensive. I think you're right if they cared more they would have it.
As for my little guy, well he didn't ask to be there or anywhere, and now I've got him. It did feel like too much of a sale though, too easy, I didn't get a great impression.

I live close to the Berger Blanc and like BMDLuver said, it's a business. Dogs are sold all prices depending on the breed and age. Sometimes $50.00 sometimes $400.00 (uneutered!). .


:rolleyes: nice, real nice going there BB! Way to save the animals http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/spezial/Fool/appl.gif

Hi all,
I'm sorry as I DO SEE this original post is dated back to April 2006 so I hope it's not a no no to add to this topic.

I'm confused I want to have Dani Microchipped BUT I am seeing so many negative aspects about it I'm not sure if it will even help.

Now I live in Dollard Des Ormeaux so I am not in the Berger Blanc district so I am not sure who would even handle a lost pet in the west island .

So if anyone is living in the west island have you microchipped ? And if so can you pm me where to go have this done in the west island as I don;t think we are allowed to post in the forum advertisements and I don;t want to break any rules.

now I'm looking for pet insurance for Dani and found a few reasonable companies to insure her.

best
Lewis

Most vets are equipped to microchip & register your dog... I'd say it's one more precaution that might save your dog's life one day, you never know what can happen. Safer than tags which can fall off or get worn out, and also you go online to update your owner info as you wish... and it lasts the lifetime of the dog. I think most shelters & vets do scan for a microchip when a lost dog is brought in, Berger Blanc is just the one-off here (atrocity, IMO). anyways... my dogs' tags do say they are microchipped pets, JUST in case! :pawprint:

That's it I'm sticking a GPS unit in my cats! Hehe

*sigh* if only that would work.....and regular people can quite easily buy their own scanners too....sure it'd be a lot of money but at least I'd know where they were!

Oh wait this is the broke one talking....*sigh* I live in hope.

Megan

Aww Lewis, don't be scared to post! I have my girl chipped. I don't live in the West Island, but I am just outside if BB's district. I got my girl done at the vet with AVID. My vet is really pro microchipping, and they have one of those universal scanners, so I can only hope that if Layla does get lost (please, god, no!) that she ends up at her vet or one like it. If your vet microchips, I would get it done there, as you already have a raport with him or her. Also, if you plan on travelling, microchipping is a really good idea, because I have found, that other cities scan a lot more than Montreal does, so it's not a universal problem. Also, as Technodoll mentioned, the microchip tag on the collar is a really good idea. It lets people know to scan for it.

Thanks Puppyluv I'm the shy type :)

Well I just called my vet where Dani is going tomorrow to get her shots,stitches removed and they DO micrchip for $89.00 !!!

wohooo Dani will be microchipped tomorrow night as well as have her stitches removed and her shots.

I HOPE it's NOT too much at one time ?

What do you think is it better to wait for the microchip or is it okay to do evrything at one time.

Lewis
http://www.dogster.com/?326170

The microchip is only one more needle poke, but it's a BIG needle and some dogs don't feel it at all (goes under the skin) and some dogs yelp once. I had my girl vaccinated & microchipped at the same time, she lived! LOL Just make sure your girl gets lots of yummy treats while being poked and prodded... it'll be a nasty 15 minutes but then it's all done and she will forget the whole ordeal :)

Yeah, layla had everything done at once too. It was a big (and expensive) day at the vet for us that day! The vet will probably tell you this, but you're not supposed to let your dog run until the next day,because the microchip needs to settle. If they run, the chip can slide and end up anywhere on the dog, making it hard to find.
The vet willl do a preliminary scan when you get it done to see if it works, then they send in papers to the database, and you receive the confirmation in the mail from the database.
When I take Layla to the vet, I ask them to scan her to see if the chip is still easy to find and working (just in case). It's not necessary, but it comforts me.

Thanks that is great help. I will do it at one time tomorrow.
I will just not be able to play football with her on Saturday !!!
I found out SHE loves to play football with me !!!!

oh my god, lewis. my vet charges 15$ for microchipping.

oh my god, lewis. my vet charges 15$ for microchipping.
WHAT???
what kind of chip is it? Does it include database registry? Mine easily cost $75 or more!

i paid $89 too,.... standard pricing around where i live.

oh my god, lewis. my vet charges 15$ for microchipping.
WOW what a difference in price ....
BUT

My Car is small a little mazda miata two seater and I think it stresses Dani when she is in it as she drools so bad which I know is a sign of stress but usualy it's a five minute drive to the park where she gets to walk around the lake with me so I know once we get there she is so happy.

It might just be something happneed to her in the past that she panics in a car .... So I try and limit for now at least the amount of road trips we take together .

Lewis

WOW what a difference in price ....
BUT

My Car is small a little mazda miata two seater and I think it stresses Dani when she is in it as she drools so bad which I know is a sign of stress but usualy it's a five minute drive to the park where she gets to walk around the lake with me so I know once we get there she is so happy.

It might just be something happneed to her in the past that she panics in a car .... So I try and limit for now at least the amount of road trips we take together .

Lewis

You should try feeding her in the car, and just putting her in the car and giving her a cookie and then taking her out. I saw Stanley Coren do that with a dog that used to puke in the car, and after a few weeks of slowly getting the dog used to being in the car without going anywhere, the puking stopped and they were able to go for pleasant car rides!
Just a thought.
Sorry for the threadjacking!

omh Meb! I was about to post about that same Coren episode! I agree though, it's a great way to desensitize. Doing things she enjoys in the car when it's off, and then progressing to tiny trips (eg, driveway to street) in the car and playing after the ride.

The way I see microchipping is as a back up... If the tags don't work somehow (like they get lost), then at least your naked dog has some form of id... Better than nothing.:)

WHAT???
what kind of chip is it? Does it include database registry? Mine easily cost $75 or more!

Yes it included the registry. I think there's a big push in my town to get it done. Hmm. It's from '24petwatch', it is compatible with all readers/scanners.

Lewis lol I wasn't suggesting you come here. I just wanted to see if this was a normal price or if we just get a great deal.

I am for microchipping, but realize in Montreal, that most dog catchers are contracted by the city. They are under NO obligation to contact an owner if the animal does not have a city license. They can have microchips and all the ID tags in the world but without a city license, they are under NO obligation to pick up the phone. Also they make more $$ selling an animal then in fining the owner.

Former Montreal resident

Well at least Dani has her city license as well as my phone number writtern on it in permanant marker.

I want to do the microchip JUST in case she should ever lose her collar !!!!

But I hope I NEVER lose her.

I want to do the microchip JUST in case she should ever lose her collar !!!!.

I too am an advocate of getting your dog microchipped just in case!

If I remember correctly, Mississauga Animal Services microchipped my pup for around $30 when I brought him in for licensing.

Loads cheaper than the vet

Hi all,
I'm sorry as I DO SEE this original post is dated back to April 2006 so I hope it's not a no no to add to this topic.

I'm confused I want to have Dani Microchipped BUT I am seeing so many negative aspects about it I'm not sure if it will even help.

Now I live in Dollard Des Ormeaux so I am not in the Berger Blanc district so I am not sure who would even handle a lost pet in the west island .

So if anyone is living in the west island have you microchipped ? And if so can you pm me where to go have this done in the west island as I don;t think we are allowed to post in the forum advertisements and I don;t want to break any rules.

now I'm looking for pet insurance for Dani and found a few reasonable companies to insure her.

best
Lewis
I'm glad I did not do the microchip at the vet yesterday as the vet felt she would be too stressed and to do it when she comes back for her booster shot in 30 days.

Either way it worked out well because Teddys Canine Railroad is doing thier fundraiser and microchipping is $45.00 and the funds go to a great cause.

http://www.teddyscaninerailroad.com/fundraiser.cfm

Really no reason for every pet not to get a chip .

Best to all,
Lewis

Den-Den and Corky both got chipped (AVID) when they were neutered. The cost was just $20 additional. Here, vets are required to scan for chips when an unknown dog is brought in for treatment the first time. I remember a neat story about a Katrina rescue dog that was taken to San Francisco. It was reunited to his owner because of his chip. The owner traveled all the way to CA to reclaim him.