Posted by Jeanne on October 13, 2009
There is not much of anything in the world than the sight of a child who is grieving a lost dog. Teary-eyed and depressed, yet hopeful, she goes around the neighborhood tacking Xeroxed signs to telephone poles, pleading for the safe return of her beloved pet, all the time knowing that the odds are stacked against her and her dog.
Over the years there have been various methods enacted to try and raise the number of lost pets that are reunited with their owners. Dog licensing and tag laws are one way that local governments have tried to help, but they don’t work very well at all. If a lost dog has lost its identification tag it is nearly impossible for anyone to find the dog’s owner.
For many years the owners of show dogs have used tattoos to put permanent identifying marks of their dogs. The tattoo is placed on the skin of the inner thigh, near the abdomen and contains a unique number assigned by the American Kennel Club. The tattoos aren’t readily visible to the average person, however, and shelter employees seldom check for tattoos on the “strays” that are brought to them on a daily basis.
A newer method of dog identification hopes to put an end to the number of lost dogs that can’t be reunited with their owners, or at least reduce it significantly. A microchip is inserted under the dog’s skin near the shoulder. This chip contains encoded data about the dog and its owner that may then be read by a scanner. It is a more permanent method than a simple metal tag, less painful and inconvenient to the dog than tattooing, and has a higher success rate than any other method when it comes to getting lost dogs back together with their owners.
The method isn’t perfect; some microchips may shift over time and become unreadable to scanners and there is the possibility, however remote, that the microchip can become demagnetized. It is the best method developed so far and is now being used all over the world.
Insertion of the microchip is a simple and nearly pain free process for the dog. Unlike tattooing, which requires the dog to be restrained and often shaved, implantation of the microchip is similar to an injection. After a tiny pinprick, its over and the dog can now be identified at any shelter equipped with the scanning device. The information on the chip is unique to the dog and the owner and makes a reunion a high probability instead of a remote possibility.
Thanks to microchip technology, we may have seen the last child crying over her lost dog and that would be a Very Good Thing.
Posted by Jeanne on November 25, 2008
Belgian Sheepdogs should reflect the qualities of intelligence, courage, alertness, and devotion to their masters. They are intended as guardians of flocks and property and are sometimes trained for police work.
- Size – The height of the Belgian sheepdog should be at least 23-1/2 inches for dogs and about 22-1/2 inches for bitches, measured at the shoulder. The length, measured from breastbone to tip of hindquarters, should equal the height. Their weight should be at least 53 pounds.
- Position – He should stand squarely on all fours, the legs perfectly straight, viewed from all sides.
- Qualities – The Belgian sheepdog should reflect the qualities of intelligence, courage, alertness, and devotion to his master. His native environment has fortified him with marvelous powers of endurance, enabling him to resist the inclemency of the seasons and the vicissitudes of the weather, so characteristic of the Belgian climate. To his inbred aptitude as a guardian of flocks he adds the valuable qualities of the best guardian of property. In emergencies he is, without any hesitation, the stubborn and spirited defender of his master. He is watchful, attentive and always in motion; he is seemingly tireless. He shows a marked tendency to move in a circle rather than in a straight line.
- Skull – Flattened rather than rounded; not so wide to appear clumsy nor narrow as a whippet’s.
- Head and Muzzle – The head should be in proportion to the body; long, with a moderately pointed muzzle (not shorter than the skull), avoiding any tendency to snipiness. Jaws strong and powerful. Lips tight.
- Eyes – Brown, preferably dark brown, of medium size, not set too obliquely and not protruding; the gaze questioning and denoting intelligence.
- Ears – Triangular in shape, stiff, erect, well placed and not too long. Dogs whose ears are not erect are not to be considered.
- Neck – Round and rather outstretched.
- Top Line – Back, loins, and hips horizontal, large and powerful, of medium length.
- Tail – Strong at the base, of medium length, differing somewhat according to the variety. At rest, the dog holds it low, the tip bent straight back level with the hock. When in action, he raises it and gives it a curl, which is strongest toward the tip, without forming a hook.
- Defects – Carrying the tail too high, turning it to the right or to the left instead of carrying it in line with the center of the body. A dog without a tail or with a stump, whether naturally or by docking, cannot take a prize at any show.
- Breast – Narrow rather than broad.
- Chest – Not broad, but deep and well let down, as in all animals with rapid gait.
- Abdomen – Of moderate development, not flagging and not like a greyhound.
- Shoulder – Long and oblique, forming a sharp angle with the upper arm.
- Arm – Governed exactly by the length of the body.
- Forearm – Long, strong and moderately heavy from elbow to pastern.
- Hindquarters and Thighs – Strong and well muscled.
- Legs – Long and strong.
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