Sometime last year, the headlines hit with the news that Bruce Forsyth's daughter, Debbie, had had her dogs - Gizmo and Widget - stolen from her car. Anyone who has a dog will know the agony she went through and will understand why Bruce used all his power and influence to get the message out there about the stolen dogs. I even wrote about it myself. If I ever got stolen, the Mistress would be beside herself, I know she would.
Fortunately, thanks to all the publicity, Gizmo and Widget were found but it was a close run thing and their owner has not taken their return for granted. Quite the opposite.
Since then, Bruce and Debbie have been on a mission and produced a fantastic website – Vets Get Scanning (http://vetsgetscanning.co.uk) , which deserves everyone's attention.
As Debbie says, "The aim of the Vets Get Scanning appeal is to get all vets, or their receptionists, to scan every dog on their books and for vets to adopt a practice policy where all dogs are routinely scanned on their first visit."
Well, that seems sensible and easy to do. Except it isn't. Since they launched the campaign, it's become apparent that:
Only a third of vets scan.
Some vets are implanting non ISO standard Microchips; therefore these chips will not be picked up when scanned.
Small rescue homes are rehoming dogs without scanning. See dogtheftaction.com
Local Authorites and Highway Agencies that collect deceased dogs do not always scan. See Jester's Law at: dogtheftaction.com
Microchipping/Scanning is totally unregulated as an industry, other than the process for issuing microchip numbers which is controlled by ISO.
“That explains why it is in such a mess. We would like to see this changed, so that everyone who comes into contact with a dog knows what they should do, we believe vets, dog wardens, police, rescue centres and local authorities all need guidelines to follow. Microchipping could be the answer to so many dog related problems, from lost and stolen dogs to dangerous dogs and dog dumping and even puppy farming.”
So, if you own a dog, please go to the site and sign the petition. Print out the letter to your vet and pass the message on.
If you have a friend or family member who has a dog, pass this email on. And sign the petition anyway.
I wish Debbie and Bruce all the luck in the world with their campaign. I want nothing in return...well, maybe just a Brucie Bonus would be nice.
Woof Woof
Thank you for your blog on Vets Get Scanning, I will see what I can do about you getting a Brucie Bonus!! We just wanted to let you know that Victoria Stilwell from It's Me Or The Dog and Marc Abraham the TV Vet on the Paul O'grady show, have joined our appeal team to promote permanent ID and getting Vets to Scan ALL dogs at their practices. Both are presenting scanners for us at Crufts. We are on the Dog Theft Action Stand 106 Hall 2. Please come and meet us. Thank you again, Best wishes, Debbie
Posted by: Debbie Matthews | March 03, 2007 at 11:44 AM