YTNR Microchip Policy

Ever since the Ellen situation broke, many rescue groups' policies have been getting a lot of scrutiny, and some of these policies have been misconstrued in the wake of that situation. YTNR, like most rescue groups, microchips their rescues to the group, not the adopting family. This is also done by the SPCA, and the vast majority of rescue groups. There is no sinister reason behind this. Some rescues are runners, and for those, the microchip serves as a "way home." Yorkie are bolters by nature, and they will take off on their own adventures if given an opportunity to get away from their home and owners. The registration stays with YTNR because it’s more reliable. When people move, are travelling, etc. the microchip company cannot always contact them easily (or at all) and often has no idea how to reach them. With so many people working, YTNR often knows the dog has been found before some people even know its missing (as in some cases where dogs got away from pet sitters). YTNR calls the family right away so they can get the dog. Frequently, YTNR calls the family while they're still out looking for their dog and it’s such a relief to come home to the message that everything is okay. If the adopting family is unreachable, YTNR would get the dog to ensure its safety. The dog would be returned home.

Very rarely do we have dogs that repeatedly run away or are found in very bad shape. YTNR has an ongoing interest/concern in every dog we rescue. We promise to take the dog back at any time for any reason. We want all placements to be successful. If for some reason the yorkie gets lost, we want to know about it so we can make sure all the right things are done, and the dog is safely returned to his family. It also keeps it from going into another rescue group (which would severely lessen the possibility the dog would go back home). And that isn't a territorial thing – it’s just that another rescue group would probably just re-home the lost dog, not knowing to whom it belonged, where YTNR would know that. Keeping the microchip registration with YTNR is in the best interest of the dog, and the adopting family only benefits from it. In over eight years, we've had many lost dogs recovered because of micro-chips and of those, only a small, small number were not returned to the adopting families - some because they couldn't be found and some because the dog was a chronic runner who the family couldn't (or wouldn't) keep from running. It is extremely rare for a rescue to not be returned because the dog is not being cared for. A good and loving family has nothing to worry about; YTNR won't take the dog back. We hope that our adopting families would be reassured that YTNR will always care about the rescue and contact the adopting family if the need arises.

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