# ear tatoo



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

I understand an ear tatoo means a breeder. Does anyone have any idea who this tatoo belongs too. This little girl just wound up in rescue in Nevada and if she has a breeder that would want her back they would like very much to know about it.


----------



## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

Can't read the tattoo....can you post what the tattoo letters and numbers are?


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

robinhuerta said:


> Can't read the tattoo....can you post what the tattoo letters and numbers are?


I sent an email to the lady at Safe Haven who has the dog. She was taking her to the vet tomorrow and was going to ask the vet to trim the hair in her ears so she could see it better. I will let you know as soon as I know.


----------



## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Not this forum, but another GSD forum I belong to there was a dog surrender & someone posted the tatoo & there was another member who was able to figure out what kennel the dog came from & the breeder was contacted. *fingers crossed* for this dog.


----------



## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

I think the first two are DH..but not sure....not too many tattoo anymore...so could be from an older established kennel. Could check for microchip as well, some breeders chip puppies before they leave the kennel. The chip company knows who was shipped that particular chip, so that would be another option. Unless the owner did the chipping and it was an owner surrender, then that would be pointless.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Courtney said:


> Not this forum, but another GSD forum I belong to there was a dog surrender & someone posted the tatoo & there was another member who was able to figure out what kennel the dog came from & the breeder was contacted. *fingers crossed* for this dog.


Thanks. She is in a no-kill shelter. But it is an outdoor one.


----------



## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

I thought about tattooing my girl. I have heard horror stories though that people steal purebreds and cut off the ear hiding ownership. I know it's not likely but I love my girls ears too much 
I hope this one finds the breeder though.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

juliejujubean said:


> I thought about tattooing my girl. I have heard horror stories though that people steal purebreds and cut off the ear hiding ownership. I know it's not likely but I love my girls ears too much
> I hope this one finds the breeder though.


 people actually do that? Ewww... That is just sick!! :angryfire:


----------



## juliejujubean (May 4, 2011)

shepherdmom said:


> people actually do that? Ewww... That is just sick!! :angryfire:


Not sure since I have never seen it my self but I have heard of people tattooing tummy/leg area to avoid tattoo from getting cut off. Some people really are sick!


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Just got an email from Safe Haven. They think the tattoo is DR08TW7.


----------



## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

shepherdmom said:


> Just got an email from Safe Haven. They think the tattoo is DR08TW7.


That is a 7 digit code, so it's likely to be either a German import or a puppy born in the US. They should call or email USA: United Schutzhund Clubs of America - For the German Shepherd Dog

D = region
R = tattooer code
0 = last letter of birth year (so this dog was born in 2010 or 2000)
8T =the 8 is probably a letter, maybe BT? = breeder code
W = letter of the litter (so the "W" litter)
7 = 7th puppy tattooed

For instance, I'm in region A, my kennel code is ED. My tattooer code is, I think, R (I'd have to go look it up)-- but it is region dependent (there can be more than one R tattooer). I have never tattooed a puppy in Region D, so it's not a puppy I tattooed.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

BlackthornGSD said:


> That is a 7 digit code, so it's likely to be either a German import or a puppy born in the US. They should call or email USA: United Schutzhund Clubs of America - For the German Shepherd Dog
> 
> D = region
> R = tattooer code
> ...


Thanks for the information. I have passed it along.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Just an update on this poor baby, at the vet yesterday they discovered she has really bad hip dysplasia. 

We think the tattoo is DR08TW7 any help locating this breeder would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

BlackthornGSD said:


> That is a 7 digit code, so it's likely to be either a German import or a puppy born in the US. They should call or email USA: United Schutzhund Clubs of America - For the German Shepherd Dog


I sent emails to the Breed Wardens listed for the Northwestern Region. Hopefully someone will respond.


----------



## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

juliejujubean said:


> Not sure since I have never seen it my self but I have heard of people tattooing tummy/leg area to avoid tattoo from getting cut off. Some people really are sick!


A woman was walking her dog tonight in front of my house. I asked if I could pet her dog and she said sure... the dog seemed unsure of me so I was about to stop touching her when she sat down. I told the owner I was about to stop and she said oh dont worry about her, she will be showing you her tattoo in a min (meaning her tummy). I was SO CONFUSED! I had no idea they did this to protect them.


----------



## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

shepherdmom said:


> I sent emails to the Breed Wardens listed for the Northwestern Region. Hopefully someone will respond.


You'll want to contact the USA office, not the Breed Wardens, probably. The breed wardens may recognize the tattoo codes, but the USA office should be able to look up the breeder code and the tattooer code, specifically.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Thanks... I'll give that a try. So far no luck. One breed warden said she was contacting another person at USCA and would let me know.  

Safe Haven contacted the shelter who said she was an owner surrender. They said she was about 7 years old. But that is all anyone has been able to learn so far. They are really trying hard to find out if her age is correct. She needs hip surgery and how old she is will depend on how far they go with it, which surgery they do etc. She really is a beautiful girl.


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

juliejujubean said:


> I thought about tattooing my girl. I have heard horror stories though that people steal purebreds and cut off the ear hiding ownership. I know it's not likely but I love my girls ears too much
> I hope this one finds the breeder though.





shepherdmom said:


> people actually do that? Ewww... That is just sick!! :angryfire:


I've never seen a dog with its ear cut off, and I don't know anyone who's ever seen a dog with its ear cut off. I think it's an urban legend. Every time I hear about it, somebody's aunt's cousin's friend's hairdresser's boyfriend knew somebody who knew somebody that it happened to.


----------



## marshies (May 18, 2011)

My childhood GSD had his tatoo on his belly. It was really much easier to read than the ear ones. They were HUGE and in plain sight.


----------



## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

There was one in a LA shelter with an ear cut off. I have seen quite a few in rescue over the years.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Well thankfully this girl still has her ear attached. Unfortunately I don't know if the tatoo is going to to help much. It would suggest she is either 2 or 12, but upon further research she was an owner surrender and they said she was 7. We did get a response from USA who gave us a name of a person who is an expired member. So not sure if it will help at all. (keeping fingers crossed that she can be tracked down).


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

She's certainly a beauty. I hope you guys are able to figure things out for her! She looks happy with that pretty smile she has.


----------



## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

shepherdmom said:


> It would suggest she is either 2 or 12, but upon further research she was an owner surrender and they said she was 7.


I wouldn't put too much trust in what the surrendering owner said regarding the dog's age. I was shocked at how horribly wrong owners could be when it came to putting an age on a dog they had owned since puppyhood. 
Sheilah


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Emoore said:


> I've never seen a dog with its ear cut off, and I don't know anyone who's ever seen a dog with its ear cut off. I think it's an urban legend. Every time I hear about it, somebody's aunt's cousin's friend's hairdresser's boyfriend knew somebody who knew somebody that it happened to.


LOL I agree. As if chopping off a GSDs ear wouldn't be really obvious! I never understood that...I'm supposed to believe someone is going to steal my dog so it can be bred or sold yet the thief is going to hack his ear off?

I've seen dogs missing various amounts of an ear but never one that was proven to be cut off to remove a tattoo.

In college we had a cat that had the tip of her ear cut off. That is how some of the local feral rescues "mark" ferals that have already been spayed. She had an eye infection when we got her, hence the squinty pic.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

sit said:


> I wouldn't put too much trust in what the surrendering owner said regarding the dog's age. I was shocked at how horribly wrong owners could be when it came to putting an age on a dog they had owned since puppyhood.
> Sheilah


Trouble is there is too much grey in her to only be two but the vet doesn't think she is 12 either. She has beautiful teeth, I'm told. Does anyone besides Schutzhund have a 7 character tattoo? Where else should we look?


----------



## RebelGSD (Mar 20, 2008)

I have spent a lot of time tracking down tattoos for rescue dog's and never had luck tracking down the owner or breeder. Most of the registries were unhelpful, I tried several.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

RebelGSD said:


> I have spent a lot of time tracking down tattoos for rescue dog's and never had luck tracking down the owner or breeder. Most of the registries were unhelpful, I tried several.


We found her breeder. Unfortunately it is not good news, she really is 12 years old. Her teeth are beautiful. Someone must have taken really good care of her only to wait until she was 12 and dump her at a shelter? Grrrr:angryfire: She is going to go back to the vet for a senior panel and hopefully if all is ok, they will be looking for a good home for her to spend her remaining time. Surgery is likely out of the question at her age. I will post her info into the rescue section just as soon as they list her.


----------



## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

I'm glad you were able to find out more on her.

I hope there's someone offering to give her a nice home.


----------



## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

BlackthornGSD said:


> I'm glad you were able to find out more on her.
> 
> I hope there's someone offering to give her a nice home.


Keeping my fingers crossed that she finds someone. Safe Haven seems to be run by some really nice people and I know they will do their best for her until then. There is a boys detention center that comes in and helps them walk and take care of the dogs.


----------

