I posted this in an earlier post, but it addresses some of the discussion points since then, so i thought I would copy this portion into a new post:

With further investigation I found another article that addresses the issue of readers and in particular the AVID vs Trovan claims (www.rfidnews.com/stoddardmis.html). You can read the article and decide for yourself. 

Hopefully, in the near future there will be a universal reader that reads all the frequencies (125kHZ, 128kHz and 134kHz).  Sounds like the AKC is pushing the universal reader concept.

Most of the readers out there have moved to a universal type reader that will read all three frequencies, but apparently there are still some old ones out there and the AKC is pushing to get them upgraded.  That is good news if it happens.  At this point being chipped seems to be the important point, but I would also recommend a tag with the appropriate toll free number of the DB where you are registered that lets the finder know the dog is chipped.  That gives you even better odds of getting your dog back. While your at it include another name plate or tag with your number, etc.  That is even better still.

Then Home Again will not do.  If your pup goes to the owner and they don't renew the annual subscription (or balk at just the initial registration when they see they are signing up for a lifetime of getting zapped on the card), the chip is no longer registered with a database.  That's the problem.

Anyone with any chip can register with the AKC CAR database.  Cost is just $12, one time only fee.

The problem with AKC CAR and a competitor's chip is if you have the sanner in your hand, and it tells you it's an Avid or Home Again chip, you may not think to surf CAR's database.

I don't know why they'd do it unless they plan to use their virtual monoploly in dog registration to corner the market on chips.  I mean, why couldn't they tune their chip just three kHz different?

Canada requires all purebred dogs to be chipped or tattooed and the CKC is the only source of ISO 9000 chips, that will only work in Canada.  (Techinically they will "work" elsewhere, just nobody else has the scanner...)  The veterinarians don't even bother with microchips.

For my new pup, I will probably go with whatever chip my vet uses (I think he is still using Home Again) and register it with the AKC CAR.  When you register with CAR you can get the tag for the dog to wear with the phone number to call.  I don't like the idea of paying forever for the dog registry (i.e., Home Again).  I may ask if they could use AVID instead, or see if I can order AVID and have them do it.  That way I get  them in AVID and CAR.  Good point though on if the vet scans and sees Home Again, they will call Home Again and won't know to call CAR. 

This is a good discussion and timely for me with the new puppy coming soon.

I took 1 of my mastiffs and 2 of my shorthairs to get OFA'd today the mastiff was already chipped and I still have 4 homeagain chips so I took them for the vet to chip my dogs - on the registeration form it states annual enrollment fee - they will be loosing business over that when they are the only company that does that.

I will be switching to the company Bruce recomended I have already signed up with them to get breeder pricing - hopefully I will have a litte of puppies this year!

ok

sort of like our goats - we were asigned a herd perfix by American Boer Goat Association and the National Scrapies Program uses the same prefix and then that goes in one ear and the other is the letter for the year they were born and the number we assign them - I haven't seen the "pen" tattooer before I would like that better then punching the holes in them.