Microchip Policy

When we say we are responsible for the dogs we breed for life, we mean it — and that responsibility doesn't pause when a dog goes home with you. It runs alongside yours.

The microchip is a small example of how that works in practice. Owners forget to register chips. They forget to update them when they move. They change phone numbers. They get new email addresses. A chip with outdated contact info is a chip that doesn't work. We have seen it happen many times in this breed, and it is one of the most common reasons dogs end up unrecoverable in shelters.

By keeping ourselves on the primary line, our information stays current automatically — which means the safety net actually catches the dog when it needs to.

When a dog ends up in a shelter or rescue, the staff there decide who they release the dog to. Owners listed on a microchip are usually contacted first, but in practice, rescues and shelters are often reluctant to release a dog to a breeder if the breeder is only listed as a secondary contact, even when we are the ones who can immediately get the dog out of harm's way.

Being on the chip as the primary contact gives us the standing to step in fast and makes the recovery process much smoother. It is the difference between being heard and being told no.

We have also built a network of friends, families, and breeders across the United States who can be on the road within hours when a dog needs to be picked up. We have used that network — and our position on the chip — to pull our dogs out of real situations, including a dog whose owner was suddenly arrested out of state, and, years ago, a pair of dogs who were being abused by a family member of their owner. In both cases, someone we trusted was at the shelter or the door within the same day. Both dogs got out and went on to good homes.

These are extreme cases. Most of our dogs live full, ordinary, beloved lives, and the chip is just a quiet safety net in the background. But the safety net only works if it is maintained, and only works if the system listens when we call.

You are the dog's person. You make the daily decisions, the medical decisions, the housing decisions, the everything. Our name on the chip does not give us authority over your dog. It gives us standing to act if something goes wrong — and only then.

If your dog is ever lost, AKC Reunite contacts us first. We immediately contact you. We help coordinate the recovery and stay with you until your dog is home.

If you are traveling or moving internationally, let us know and we will add additional contacts to the chip so you can be reached anywhere your dog might turn up.