# I know you think your pets are a part of your family, but... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 28, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569 "2019-01-28T18:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/1 "2019-01-28T18:38:44Z")
…posting a picture on Facebook of two children and a large dog sitting on a trampoline with the caption “Our boy Gunner is missing! West Petaluma, off of Roblar Rd. Please let me know if anyone has seen him!”, just _might_ give the wrong impression to people, not to mention the police those people might call out of concern. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/2 "2019-01-28T19:21:00Z")
They should have at least stated their boy Gunner was the dog. That’s unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/3 "2019-01-28T19:27:43Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > They should have at least stated their boy Gunner was the dog. That’s unfortunate. An update just a few minutes ago stated that “her boy” has been found, so we still aren’t sure which of the three she was referring to. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/4 "2019-01-28T19:43:36Z")
Well, I’d expect a human boy’s name to be spelled “Gunn **a** r.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2019, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/5 "2019-01-29T23:21:34Z")
Ask her if her son is chipped. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/6 "2019-01-30T01:31:51Z")
You can actually chip your kids. I read an article about a chip thingy they can put on your kids molar. The dentist glues it in. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/7 "2019-01-30T05:02:45Z")
I might do it if the chip had GPS. But I doubt I would ever need to rely on someone scanning my kid’s chip to get her home to me, since she can talk. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/8 "2019-01-30T05:05:21Z")
I think it’s more to ID a body. So sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/9 "2019-01-30T05:15:36Z")
Ick. That’s what dental records & dna are for. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/10 "2019-01-30T05:25:44Z")
Well, yeah. It would be looked for in a forensic dental exam. Maybe an unrecognizable body could more quickly be identified. I’m not sure it’s catching on as a thing parents would do. It was just an article I read somewhere. Can’t remember where. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/11 "2019-01-30T06:15:06Z")
I seriously can’t imagine _any_ parent chipping their child so that the authorities could identify his/her dead body more easily down the road. But people seem to do all sorts of things I can’t imagine doing… ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/12 "2019-01-30T15:07:40Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > …posting a picture on Facebook of two children and a large dog sitting on a trampoline with the caption “Our boy Gunner is missing! West Petaluma, off of Roblar Rd. Please let me know if anyone has seen him!”, just _might_ give the wrong impression to people, not to mention the police those people might call out of concern. Agreed, people may think that it is a child that is missing, and not keep an eye out for the dog. > [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > Ick. That’s what dental records & dna are for. That is to confirm identity, not to determine it. There is no national database of dental records to compare a body to, it is when they think they know who you are that they will try to find your dentist and use those records to compare to your mouth. It’s not like there is a matching system or anything, they just look, and see, that, yes there’s fillings in these 3 teeth, the same as dental records indicate. DNA does have more database access, but you are not going to be in it unless you’ve committed a crime, and is still not like what those boys on CSI have. If I had kids, I’d probably put a chip in them somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-you-think-your-pets-are-a-part-of-your-family-but/828569/13 "2019-01-30T15:15:39Z")
> [@Enola\_Gay](#): > > I seriously can’t imagine _any_ parent chipping their child so that the authorities could identify his/her dead body more easily down the road. But people seem to do all sorts of things I can’t imagine doing… Not just dead body. Some kidnapping victims are recovered alive. If they are young enough, they may not have enough memories of their parents in order to be reunited. My parents had me fingerprinted as a toddler in case of such an eventuality. And, of course, even in the case of the worst case, it is still better to have the closure of what happened to your child than never knowing. Also, having such a chip would do the same as it does with pets. If you take your pet to a vet, they will often check it for a chip. If they find a chip that belongs to a missing pet, then they know that you are a pet napper. Can do the same with doctor’s offices. Parents do many things that they hope will never be of any use. My parents also had life insurance on us kids, so that if we were to die unexpectedly, then funeral arrangements and such would be paid for and taken care of. I assume they never wished to cash in on that policy. Plan ahead for the unpleasant things, then you don’t have to think about or worry about it anymore, it’s already planned for. You can spend time when not under duress or grief in order to make a plan to follow for when you are.