But what I got from the story is that microchipping your dog isn’t enough. One heartbreaking moment in the story describes where the owner gets a call to stop looking for her dog because the people who found it have decided to keep it. Now, I can’t imagine that happens too often, but despite what this article suggests, microchipping wouldn’t help in that scenario. They only scan for a microchip if the dog is lost, so even if they took the dog to a vet, the vet wouldn’t find out it’s a dog that belongs to someone else.

I know otherwise good people who let their dogs run free out in the woods. One of these dogs was viciously and nearly fatally attacked twice by what they guess was a wolf. They still let the dog run free. Would I do this? No way.

But my point is that the dogs could be stolen, hit by a car, eaten by a bear, injured and left for dead, or any number of other bad situations. It’s your job to take care of your dog, and that means supervising them. Even if you have a high opinion of your dog, even tough dogs are not meant to survive in the wild. I very much understand wanting to let your dogs out, but if you live in the woods, walk with them, or run with them. If you do this, they won’t need to go out by themselves.

And if you have a dog that “escapes”, fix that problem. Fix the fence, get a new fence, or only allow your dog out with your supervision. It’s your responsibility, not the dog’s.