I want to get microchips for my dogs, only I don't know much about them. Are they safe, have there been any bad cases and where would I go to get it done.
Thanks
Tikivik

I've had a cat and a dog microchipped. I haven't seen any problems with them or heard of any issues. Except, the needle used to insert the chip under the skin looks like something developed by the defense department, and it hurts going in <img src="http://www.leerburg.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> But after the initial pain of needle insertion, my dog and cat didn't seem to notice. If you have your vet microchip your pet, and do nothing, the pet is registered to that clinic. They give you a form to take home and fill out, and that switches the registration to you. Also, you can register the chip id with the AKC. You'll want to put a copy of the chip id someplace safe. We got a tag with the chip id on it. Not sure if you're supposed to keep this someplace safe, or put it on the dog so someone without a scanner can get the id. We put ours on the dog.

I don't know what the standard practice is, but we got our cat from the local animal control agency. The previous owners had given the cat up for adoption. Before they gave us the cat, they checked for a chip, so I'm fairly comfortable that if our dog was picked up by local animal control, they'd know how to find us.

Tatoos can get altered... Branding on dogs... NOT. Tags on collars... Well, during a storm with all the debris, chaos, and confusion collars can get lost, tags get mangled, etc.

IMHO, the microchip method is the most safe, secure, and humane method of ID'ing your dog. It's quick, relatively painless for the animal (local anesthetic), invisible, and inexpensive. In the event it gets your four legged family member recovered, it's priceless or worth it's weight in gold, whichever you prefer.