I finally took Wally to be microchipped last weekend.  I should have done it long ago, but honestly, I just kept forgetting.   I know, lousy excuse, huh?  If your pet is not microchipped, I am writing this as a friendly reminder to you!  Don’t keep forgetting or putting it off!  Just do it!  :)

Our local animal shelter has vaccine/microchip clinics every Wednesday morning, but last weekend they offered a Saturday clinic.  When I saw the information on facebook on Saturday morning, I got Wally ready and off we went.  We were in and out in less than 3 minutes.  The shot itself only took a second and Wally didn’t even flinch!   The cost was $20, including registration with 24 Pet Watch.  It really was very easy!

According to the ASPCA, approximately 5 million to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year.  56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized.  Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats are reunited with their owners - a sad statistic that could be drastically changed if more animals had proper identification, such as a microchip.

Day after day we see news stories about pets reunited with their owners all because of a tiny microchip.  Most recently, a 68-year-old man with dementia was reunited with his family because he was found with his dogs – who just happened to be microchipped.  A microchip gives your pet the best chance at finding his way home to you.  Tags can be lost or removed, but a microchip cannot.

How does it work?  A chip about the size of a grain of rice is implanted just under the skin.  This is done as an injection and is nearly pain free for your pet.  The microchip is pre-programmed with an identification number that is read by a microchip scanner.  This identification number is registered with the microchip company and all registered microchips are stored in the database.  A pet microchip uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.  When an animal is scanned at a shelter or veterinarian’s office, the identification number is decoded by the scanner and displayed on the screen.  The finder can then contact the microchip company to receive the owner’s information and reunite them with their pet.

Our animal shelter registered our information for us, but if your provider does not, be sure to register your information with the manufacturer of the microchip immediately.   A microchip is useless without the proper owner information.  Also, be sure to put your dog’s microchip identification tag on their collar.  If they are found with their collar, it lets everyone know that the dog’s information is listed with the registry and  makes it that much quicker for your pet find their way home.

If your pet is not microchipped, I encourage you to talk to your vet or local animal shelter about getting it done.  The comfort of knowing that your pet will not end up alone in a shelter is priceless!