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The art of a job well done and attention to detail

In the myriad of actions we take, it is about focusing on the important, even sometimes the urgent, and then doing it thoroughly, paying attention to the details, putting yourself in the shoes of the one. the one who will have to use the product of our activity.

What has changed since 1is may ? At least one title calls out: the “microchipped” cats and dogs can no longer be associated with the name and address of their owner.


D. Michel Judkiewicz.
©RV DOC


A 1is April, we would have understood that it was a fish, not “chipped” that one, but a 1is May ?

It is clear thatthis is not a hoax but that from now on, if dog or cat owners wish to be able to find a lost animal or if a veterinarian or an ad hoc agency wants to identify the owner of a found animal, this will no longer be possible in order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The antidote ? A proactive approach on a website (CatID or DogID), provided with his identity card and an appropriate reader.

Of course, royal decrees have long imposed microchip identification on dogs and strongly recommend it for cats. We can understand the merits of this decision to reunite lost animals and their owners and toprevent some from cowardly abandoning their animal of company.

The chip is therefore an identity card of the animal where we find its characteristics and name, as well as its presumed date of birth. Added to this is the genuinely relevant information from contact details of its owner.



Data protection suddenly seems much more important than the tracing of people, which is the subject of much discussion.

This beautiful and good initiative is being undermined today by states of mind about data protection that suddenly seem far more important to us than the much-discussed person tracking.

infraction seriously

For the man and his health, employment and employer data, address, telephone, email address, gender, and other information, no doubt, pragmatism should be favored over confidentiality and, in emergency cases, we can understand it, if not admit it.

On the other hand, learning the address and telephone of the owner of Médor or Minou and being able to contact him is a infraction seriously respect for private life.

At a time when the health crisis has brought to light even more the dysfunctions of our societies and where complex issues and titanic projects stand in our way, which will understand the relevance, importance and urgency of this new regulation of which we should all feel honored?

Either, owner of a cat (or is it the other way around), of an identity card reader and of a PC, I start the necessary steps on CatID. What does “mother Michel who lost her cat” do and never had a PC and an ID card reader? The decree does not say it and does not care.

Let’s face it, it’s relatively simple but as part of this process, on CatID, I came across this sentence, a marvelous result of a copy and paste, unfortunately without proofreading, “to modify your dog’s data”. My cat reacted with sovereign contempt to this attack on his feline dignity. It is true that he does not vote and does not pay taxes, him.



Any job, even the most humble, can be undertaken as the making of a masterpiece that enriches oneself and others.

I am reminded of this sentence heard 40 years ago by my boss at the time, being a young engineer working in the United States: “Listen Mike, first you try to do the right things and ignore the other ones, then, you strive to do those things right “. (Listen Michel, first you try to do the right thing and you ignore the rest, then you try to do it correctly).

Pleasure at work

Forty years later Nothing has changed. And there is no reason to change.

In the myriad of actions we could take, these are focus on the important, sometimes even urgent, and then to do it thoroughly, by paying attention to details, by putting yourself in the shoes of the one who will have to use the product of our activity and trying to make everything as fair and perfect that it is humanly possible.

Efficiency will certainly come out grown, but also the moral (love your neighbor as yourself) and pleasure at work, for any work, even the most humble, can be undertaken as the making of a masterpiece that enriches oneself and others, or sloppy leaving everyone, including its author, a nauseating feeling of emptiness .

D. Michel Judkiewicz
Civil engineer and member associate of the Royal Academy of Belgium

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