Lassie Come Home- Microchip Your Pet

Why should animals die needlessly when we have the technology and ability to protect them and assist in their return when they are lost ?

Through the use of microchip technology today companion animals can be chipped and owners can make sure the registrations are submitted to one of the major recovery services in their country. The microchip is a small transponder that is activated by a scanner and reads the number of the chip that has been implanted in the animal. The procedure to do this involves a small needle being introduced under the loose skin between the shoulder blades of the animal and a microchip the size of a grain of rice being implanted through the sterile needle. It takes about the same time as it takes for giving the pet their shots or vaccinations. It has been used around the world and extensive testing has shown it to be safe for pets

Over 840,000 dogs and 572,320 cats suffered a needless death due to the lack of identification when they were discovered as strays. These figures come from the 1997 survey of 1000 animal shelters across the US conducted by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy. These are alarming statistics which highlight the importance of microchipping and registering your contact information for your pet which wold dramatically lower these numbers.

An open door, or unlocked fence can be the difference between a lost pet and a dead pet. With the technology available pets can be recovered in greater numbers than through the use of tags,collars with the owners name and pets name inscribed. These can come off or be chewed off with wear. the microchip is invisible yet powerful. Microchips and their database registrations have also been helpful in natural disasters such as storms,hurricanes in returning lost pets to their owners.

The cost of microchipping varies by veterinary charges and registration fees varies but is usually around $45.00 and registration with the recovery services is free or a small annual fee to keep the registration current when people move. Some of these services keep the data current by regularily contacting and confirming the contact information with the owner. Others rely on the owner to keep the record updated. Some municipal governments use the tag information to license pets in their area and provide support for animal control activities. Others use metal tags and tokens that can fall off and be lost.

The odds of recovery of a lost pet is enhanced by the microchip compared to other methods. We will still see posters on telephone poles ad bulletin boards when a pet is lost. The owner can avoid further anguish by ensuring the pet has been chipped and registered. The sight of a crying child whose favorite dog or cat has gone missing should remind us as adults of our responsibility as a pet parent

The information contained in the registration allows the rapid contact and return of the animal upon arriving at animal welfare organization. Shelters across North America have scanners that can read and identify a wide variety of chips being used. In the United States there is a movement to international microchip standards (ISO) which are used in most developed countries including Canada. The current non-ISO chips in the US can be read today and in Canada the scanners read both ISO and non-ISO chips in scanners provided specifically for that market.

Once the animal has been scanned and the pattern of the chip identified by the code and number, the appropriate registry is contacted. The registries are not all exclusive to the chip manufacturers and some include all chips that are in the market. One registry ,24PetWatch, is also integrated in real time with the largest online shelter software in North America to facilitate recovery and contact while others all have Toll-Free telephone numbers for recoveries. It is the least we can do to let Lassie come home.