Tattoos and bodypainting are becoming mainstream in today's society and it is very common to see people sporting a fashionable design or meaningful emblem. Miami ink and similar television programs profile the intense meaning these tattoos can have to the person wearing them.
In 1983 I initiated a tattoo identification program for pets in Nanaimo that eventually spread to include all veterinary hospitals in the entire province. The unique letter number combinations allow dogs and cats to be traced back to their caregivers by this permanent identification in their right ear put in while under general anesthetic for a spay or neuter prodedure. With the success of the program we also began to put small personalized tattoos along with the letter number combination. Our most common request was a heart to signify the love that people have for their pets.
The human-animal bond is the mutual affection pets and their care-givers have for each other. Pets give unconditional non-judgmental love and usually spend their life time with their human companion. Besides tattoos of affection we also began to notice people would have us put tattoos associating them with their work, sports and even religious symbols.
Over the years we have also had people request their pet receive the same tattoo as they themselves have. A playboy bunny and a majestic eagle were tattooed after people showed off their own tattoos. The simplest method was to have them lay their arm or area tattooed on the photocopier and then shrink down the image to the proper size to have it tattooed in their pet's ear.
Last week Amy brought in her small Papillion dog and asked for us to give him the same tattoo as she had. I asked her to come with me to the photocopier and we would copy it but she gave me a questioning look. I knew the look could only mean one of two things - either she had the tattoo in a very private area or it was too large to fit on the photocopier.
With her dog under anesthetic Amy modeled in front of her pet so Shane, our veterinary technician, could put the same tattoo of wings on her back in a small version in her dog's ear.
