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First-time pet owner here. I just adopted a dog over the weekend and was told by the shelter I need to register his microchip. They recommended HomeAgain but mentioned I could register the microchip with any registry that is connected to the AAHA universal lookup tool

It’s insane how hard it is to figure out what these registries actually charge. Except for a few, most of them bury pricing or make you start filling in your info just to see it. Fast forward an hour, pulled some of the participating microchipt registry services from the AAHA website and figured I’d share what I found to save you the time and headache I spent

HomeAgain: Their site only markets a subscription but you can also pay a one-time fee for basic registration. **$19.99 one-time fee – basic registration

**$24.99/yr sunscription- includes lost pet alerts to their vet/shelter network, travel assistance if your pet is 500+ miles away and a vet helpline

24PetWatch: They market two plans which are more expensive compared to the others but offer you coupons from partners to offset the cost if you use those services. Odd the subscription offers less services compared to the one-time fee. **$119.95 one-time fee – includes basic registration, a recovery specialist, 24/7 vet helpline, 1 yr of medical & behavioral info sharing and coupons to Rover ($30), Petco ($25), Pumpkin Wellness Club (1 mo free which auto-renews at $380/yr)

**$59.95 1st yr then $19.95/yr subscription – includes recovery specialist and a “DirectConnect” service which connects you with the finder if your pet is found

AKC Reunite: This one was pretty straigforward **$22.95 one-time fee – includes basic registration with optional add-ons for pet poison helpline (+$20) and lost pet email alert to nearby vets/shelters (+$15)

Pawbase Pet: This one seems to be a newer app-based registry **Free – includes the basic registration and you can update your contact info for free. It also has extra app features like storing vet records

**$24.99/yr subscription – includes location alert if your pet's chip is scanned and a free QR collar tag

Free Pet Microchip Registry: Looks like a no-frills registry stuck in 2005 ** Free – basic registration

I might be missing some but hope this saves someone else the headache. Welcome any other recommendations I might’ve missed as there is a long list of AAHA participating registries

Today is my first day with my rescued pitty mix that’s 6 months old. I know for sure he has slight separation anxiety because the foster parents that had him could not continue to foster him (for totally legitimate reasons).

I grew up around dogs I just have never personally raised one. I understand the potential stress around a pitt bull specifically and just want to make sure I do this correctly. I’ve noticed already that he LOVES humping a few objects around the house like his dog bed and i’ve been trying to disrupt it but not sure the best approach.

I also am just unaware of training in general and what the first steps need to be in raising him correctly. What things are okay and not okay? What things do I need to jump on first. How do I go about those things? I’ve been watching YouTube videos and may likely pay for a course and training but I figured this was a better first alternative before I start forking out money for all these things.

"Stay confined to the home and garden until vaccination" "take your puppy everywhere with you in the carrier" "keep your puppy home" "take your puppy out" agh!

So much information my brain is exploding. How do I socialise a puppy effectively? Can someone give me the rundown of what to do on a week-week basis? Im so lost

Thank you so much

What kind of rope should I be using and is a tire ok to use in a tie out? Is a harness better than a collar for a tie out? My dog as far as I am aware has only used a collar. If a harness is better, what would be recommended for a dog that has destroyed a collar he was wearing. Comfort for the dog first.

Currently I've been using regular rope, tied to a tire. The rope is around 50ft for him to explore the yard safely. My dog is supervised on the rope. He usually just sunbathes. He does go on at least 2 walks a day.

wanting the opinions from those that use or is knowledgeable with tie outs. If tie outs are considered dangerous even with supervision, please let me know. This is my first dog that needs a tie out.

Hi all, My husband and I have a 6 month old cocker spaniel puppy. She has previously been sleeping in a playpen + crate combo in our living room, and spent her time there overnight and while we were working during the day.

She recently worked out how to jump over the playpen and began roaming around the house while we weren’t home, which wouldn’t be a problem but she has been having some toilet training regressions recently and we would come home to accidents on the carpet.

She had no issues holding on in her pen, and would happily play in there, and take herself to sleep in her crate. Our trainer suggested that we start to leave her outside during the day, and that we should move her crate and toys to where she would be spending more of her time. So we moved her crate to the sunroom at the back of our house and she has access to the backyard all day long. During the day this is fine, however she has been napping on the armchair in the sunroom rather than her crate.

As her crate is in there during the day we have been trying to get her to sleep in the sunroom overnight. She hates this. She will cry until one of us comes to sit with her, and even if she falls asleep in her crate as soon as we leave she wakes up again. We never had this problem in the past and she has always loved her crate and went to sleep easily from the day we brought her home. This has been happening for three nights in a row now.

Ideally we would love for her to get used to sleeping in the sunroom overnight, but is this just not going to happen? Should we just move the crate back to the living room? Any advice would be appreciated 🙂

I know this sounds like a ridiculous question. The only dog I have been responsible for was a German Shepherd who would shake off a sweater when it was clearly below 0 F.

Now I'm fostering a mutt, four years old and about 50 pounds. She's a true mutt – a herding dog's feet, a terrier's head, long legs, shorter hair generally and almost no fur on her belly. Very energetic. She's pretty stoic generally – been with me four months – and hangs in her crate where she has a big, fluffy bed. I'm wondering if there are ways to tell the cold is bothering her other than her refusing to go out. Where I am, zero degree days are unusual at the depth of winter, but not what I'd call rare. Those temperatures are months away, but I'd like to be prepared. Thank you!