Kristen Thompson, customer care tech, scans a cat in search of a microchip to identify the pet's owner. (Post / John Leyba)

The Pros

The advantages of inserting a microchip in your pet are numerous:

• As we have already said, the procedure is quick and causes no pain for your pet;
• It is highly effective in returning pets to their owners when they go missing;
• The presence of the microchip and the information contained on the chip register demonstrates who owns the pet in the event someone else takes your missing animal in and decides to give them a “new home”;
• Microchips are usually used for cats and dogs but they are also eminently suitable for a wide range of other pets and animals, including livestock;
• The chip reader information is always clear and will never fade unlike a tattoo;
• Chipping your pet is permanent unlike using a collar and tag; and
• Shelters and the police will automatically scan a found pet to see if the animal has a chip.

Chipping your pet dramatically increases the odds of being reunited with them if they go missing compared to traditional forms of finding a missing animal.

This is not to say that there aren’t any drawbacks to the micro-chipping your pet.

The Cons

• Some microchips are not readable by different types of chip reader, so even if your pet is chipped, unless the shelter is operating the appropriate type of reader, your pet’s microchip may not actually be detected and read;
• Microchips are not visible and there is nothing to say that a pet has been chipped unless there is an additional identifying tag on their collar, though collars and tags may be lost as well – this leads to the possibility that your pet may be “adopted” by the finder who may be blissfully unaware you own the pet;
• The owner must keep the register updated with their contact information and frequently there are costs involved in maintaining the entry and for making any changes to it;
• The chip can migrate within your pet’s body which may make it impossible to read with a scanner;
• Microchips are not GPS tracking devices, so they do not give the animal’s position if it goes missing though many people assume this is in fact the case;
• The technology is not widely known to the general public who may therefore not know that the pet should be scanned in the first place – this means it is essential to still tag your pet and also to make it clear that there is microchip inserted; and
• When a pet does go missing, owners with an animal which has been chipped tend to assume the pet will be returned to them because of this.  As a result, they neglect to take action to locate their pet themselves, such as calling the shelters and placing missing posters around the neighborhood.

Asset Tags by Maverick Label – Mark Trumper

Creating an asset register is as simple as creating a spreadsheet – for those who are not computer literate, all you need is a sheet of lined paper with several ruled columns indicating the date, the name and type of asset with an allocated serial number and any other information you wish to track, such as location or staff member responsible for it for instance.

Each asset needs to be marked or affixed with a suitable asset tag or label.  Asset labels need to be robust and capable of withstanding hard use as well as dealing with environmental factors such as being stored outside where the weather and elements operate.  Typically, they are coated with a very strong and weatherproof adhesive which also makes them remarkably difficult to remove by thieves.  It is not uncommon to find asset labels and tags to be made from sturdy aluminum foil which makes them virtually indestructible and suitable for the most hard-wearing environments.

Arranging for sequential asset numbers to be printed is simple – asset label printers who are experienced in providing these products are very capable of delivering asset tags which can be sequentially numbered and ready for you to allocate as a serial number to individual assets.  More advanced asset labels can carry a barcode which contains much more detailed information than a simple serial number.

Barcode labels can carry a wide range of information including inception and termination dates, maintenance and upgrade information as well as simple identity markers demonstrating ownership.  With a cheap barcode scanner you can also integrate asset tracking directly into your computer based asset register and software packages such as QuickBooks, provide a simple means of integrating your asset tracking with your accounting system.

Asset labels are at the core of protecting your business assets – they provide a visible marker and stamp of your ownership which in itself, acts as a deterrent to thieves or those looking to use your property when they are not authorized to.  They also will simplify your asset tracking and especially when you have equipment being used off-site or by contractors – this is essential if you are to protect your property and engender a sense of responsibility in users.  Asset tracking  is also an essential requirement for your accounting when it comes to being able to demonstrate that the assets you own and are reflected in your balance sheet and accounts, are in fact in your physical possession and do exist.

Talk to your print partner about how asset labels can be put to work for your business – they are simple to source and easy to use and the cost is minimal compared to the value of the assets they track and protect.

New Year is just around the corner and we are getting ready for welcoming 2009 in and waving goodbye to 2008 as it heads for the history books.

This last year has seen a range of developments in technology which have massively broadened the application of tagging and carrying information – this is after all what the point of a tag is – to carry information.

I expect to see greater application of RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology with labeling and not just in security functions to protect goods from shop lifters but also in delivering information to consumers.  Already, there are several test programs for carrying RFID tags on food products so the customer can use a scanner provided by the store not only to automatically add the item to the bill but give the buyer a history of where the food is from, who grew or produced it, when it was made and what went into it and a host of other good stuff.  This is not so far fetched as you may think and they are already introducing this technology in the UK with leading grocery store, Sainsbury’s.

I’m also going to predict a dramatic increase in the application of biometric tagging in both identification and security functions.  Biometrics have still to achieve their full potential and there is the money in the market for it – the government is throwing huge sums not just at biometric development but in furthering the application of reliable technology.  There is just too much money being invested for this to fall flat on its face.

What else takes my fancy?

I think that there will be some of the first integrated scanning technology delivered for use in cell phones – in fact, I’ll confess, I know this is going to happen as a friend of mine writes cell phone reviews and Visa has been teaming up with several handset manufacturers so a cell phone will also be able to scan intelligent tags and act as a money payment device.  Still in its infancy but the Europeans are stepping up the momentum here and I expect we’ll catch up with them on this sooner rather than later.

That’s all from me for 2009, drive safe if you are going out to party and enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you all next year

More dogs and cats are lost in winter than at any other time of the year so it becomes doubly important that they are properly tagged and identifiable.  If your pet carries an identification tag, the chances of being reunited with your pet quadruple while inserting a microchip further increases the probability of Fido or Frisky making it back home after wandering off.

Microchipping involves the painless injection of a small microchip device usually under the skin of the scruff of the neck.  Once inserted, a scanner can be used to collect the information contained on the chip which will include the owners information as well as the pet’s name and any medical or behavioral issues.

Tagging or microchipping your pet may also be a legal requirement depending on where you live.  Some states require a tag and for those that do not, county or municipal bylaws may impose an obligation upon the owners.  In addition. indoor pets should also be tagged and/or microchipped; the reasoning that as the pet lives indoors they cannot get lost is fallcious and indeed, if an indoor pet does find themself in the great outdoors, there is a need to recover the pet that much sooner.

Whichever method you use for identification, you are relying on simple human behavior when it comes to getting your pet home; human nature being what it is, there is an automatic reaction to check the collar of a potential stray and agencies who come across a stray will automatically scan the neck of your pet to check if they have been microchipped as part of their standard procedures.  In either instance, in the event of a tag or microchip not being present your pet will probably end up transported many miles away to a central pound where the chances of finding them start to significantly drop.

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