Microchipping can save a pet’s lifeEvery year, 10 million pets are lost -- and without identification, almost 90
percent are never returned to their owners. Most of these pets end up in
shelters, where they are adopted into new homes or otherwise euthanized.
We owe it to our pets that they not end up a statistic.
Proper – permanent -- identification is the only way to ensure the return of a
lost dog or cat to its rightful owner. While collars and ID tags are a good
start, they can easily be removed – or the pet can get away from its owner when
it is not wearing a collar.
The only permanent way to identify a pet is through microchipping. About the
size of a grain of rice, a microchip is painlessly implanted between the pet’s
shoulder blades. The chip holds a specific ID number that can then be scanned
with a handheld scanner, and the number matched to the owner in a national
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has endorsed the use of
microchips to identify American pets and has advocated educating the public
about microchip technology as stated in its report to Congress, released in
August 2007. The report states that “APHIS supports the microchipping of pets”
and that it is “very interested in working with microchips manufacturers, humane
organizations, veterinarians, and other stakeholders to explore options to
increase the effectiveness of microchipping.”
Dan Knox, D.V.M., Task Force Member of the American MicroChip Advisory Council
for Animals (AMACA) declared: “It is undisputed that microchips save pets’
lives. I expect that countless pets that are lost or displaced by hurricanes and
other natural disasters will be saved over the years because the USDA supports
and encourages the use of microchips.”
It is, of course, vitally important that the number on the microchip is
associated with the owner and registered into the database. A chip is worthless
if the information on it cannot be traced.
Prepaid registration cards set up the direct registration to the new owner at
the time of sale, thus saving time searching for information later. The breeder
purchases the cards and when an animal is sold, the card is filled out with the
pertinent information. The breeder collects the registration fee and sends in
the card to transfer the registration to the new owner. This way, when a lost
pet is scanned, the new owner will be contacted so they can claim their animal.
Whichever method is used for the registration, it is an important step to ensure
the return of the animal to the proper owner. Time is critical to an animal
waiting in a shelter and having direct registration will ensure the timely
return of your beloved pet.
5 steps to Animal Recovery
1. Insert a microchip.
2. Register the animal.
3. Animal is found by third party.
4. Recovery Program is contacted to determine owner's name & phone number.
5. You are contacted immediately & plans are made for you to bring your pet home