[NAGDU] Home Again

[Heather Bird]

Hello. I research this in depth a while ago, so this information may be a little bit out of date. You might want to call Home Again and ask. However, from what I could tell, paying for the service is not necessary at all. So, what it basically does, it sends out alerts, via email, to try to get your pet back. I asked them if the alert could also be sent to animal control, Veterinary Hospital’s, and couldn’t mention that I had a service dog, not just a pet. I was told that no that’s not how it worked.  Additionally, since I did not renew my subscription, I no longer get the emails telling me about a lost pet in my area. Which would seem to indicate that the only people who get these alerts are other people who have paid for the service. Also, since we travel, if they’re alerting people in “your area “it’s not going to be very helpful if your guy dog gets lost in another state or another part of the state. As you surmised, the chip doesn’t magically spontaneously combust inside your dog if you don’t renew. It’s still there, and it is still readable, and the information is still there, so, if an animal shelter, or a veterinary clinic, read the chip, they will still be able to contact you. On the other hand, it’s not a huge expense, and if it is going to be at least a little bit helpful, and you have the extra money to spend, it certainly couldn’t hurt. Honestly, I think they should give some sort of a discount to service dogs, or, not give us a discount, but actually allow us to customize the response when our dog goes missing, so that we have better odds of getting our dogs back. again, I would definitely call the company to clarify, as their service may have changed since I last checked in on it.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 21, 2023, at 10:42 AM, Al Sten-Clanton via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi, Tracy.
> 
> I have renewed since the free membership ended.  It didn't help getting
> Sheldon back from a little romp between hotels on Cape Cod soon after I got
> him, but I figure it's still a precaution worth taking.  (We got him back
> because our gang called the cops about a missing dog and the other hotel
> called them about a dog in the lobby.  Turned out, the lock on my door was
> somewhat defective.)
> 
> Al
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
> Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 8:19 AM
> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: carcione at access.net
> Subject: [NAGDU] Home Again
> 
> When I got Igloo from TSE, I also got a free year's membership with Home
> Again, the company with whom his microchip is registered.  Now they are
> asking me to renew.  Is it worthwhile?  Have other people renewed?  I'm
> guessing, when my membership expires, I won't be able to use Home Again to
> trace him, if he gets lost, but he will still have his chip and its
> associated data.  I'm not real sure how all that works.
> 
> Tracy
> 
> 
> 
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