Think about it. A microchip the size of a grain of rice can mean the difference between being reunited with a lost pet…or not.
“Well,” you may say, “my pet has a collar and name tag.” That’s a lovely fashion statement, but a collar can easily break or fall off. Then if your dog wanders off or your cat scampers up a tree a few blocks from home, a stranger may find them with no ID. But if the pet has a registered microchip, you have definitive proof of ownership. This is particularly helpful in the case of stolen pets.
Once implanted between the animal’s shoulder blades, the microchip is there to stay. All you need to do is have it checked once a year to make sure it’s working properly and that the registration is up to date.
Over 10 million pets are lost each year!
If that happens to you, a chip greatly increases the likelihood that your pet will be returned to you safely. Recent studies have shown that cats with microchips are 20 times more likely to be returned to their owner. And chipped dogs are returned 2.5 times more than unchipped dogs.
That’s a pretty significant difference. And with millions of pets going missing, you want to do everything you can to ensure that yours finds its way back to you.
A story reported in the PetHealth Network newsletter from IDDEX tells about Spice, the 6-month-old grey and white cat discovered 2,300 miles away from her home. Thanks to her microchip, the shelter in Westbrook, Maine was able to identify her guardian in Albuquerque, New Mexico and return Spice to her loving home.
Chips that do more
Some manufacturers are enhancing the chips’ capabilities and adding functionality by programming the chip to open your pet door only when your pet approaches. This helps keep out stray critters that may wander into your home. Some chip makers also offer lost pet alerting services and even travel assistance for folks who like to vacation with their pets.
At Hearts Alive Village, every pet we adopt out is microchipped before it goes out the door. If you have a pet who is not yet chipped, our Vet Clinic offers the service for only $25. It’s a simple, painless procedure. Call for an appointment, and put your mind at ease.
Here are more tips on chips:
