Why MicroChips?

Even the best pet owners go through this nightmare. The gardener leaves the back gate open. One of the kids forgot to close the back door. There was a bad storm that spooked your pet. Your pet was stolen out of the back yard. Well behaved pets are sold for research. Animals such as purebreds, birds and exotics are valuable and are stolen for resale. Recently, there was an article in Orlando Sentinel about people stealing mild mannered dogs like Golden Retrievers to use as bait to teach Pit Bulls how to fight. Sad, but true. Most shelters destroy the majority of pets they impound. They are destroyed only because they are not identified. There are many good healthy dogs that are euthanized because owners cannot be located.

A dog license is a great identifier (and the law and proves your dog had a rabies shot) but sometimes when a person goes to grab a stray dog they end up with a collar in their hands.

The microchip is a tiny computer chip which has an identification number programmed into it and is encapsulated within a biocompatible material. The whole device is small enough to fit inside a hypodermic needle and can be simply injected under the skin of our pets, where it will stay for the life of the animal. This provides a permanent, positive identification which cannot be lost, altered or intentionally removed – a safe, simple and inexpensive way to protect your pet against loss or theft.

Animals of any age can be injected with a microchip.

Injecting a Microchip is just like any other injection or vaccination. Anesthesia is not required or recommended since there is minimal discomfort with the procedure.

There is a universal scanner that can read all microchips. The new scanners were given to thousands of shelters throughout the country so that quick and easy identification of those dogs with microchips can be achieved.

With the new technology, dogs can be scanned when picked up by an animal control officer or brought to the shelter. If a chip is present, the scanner will read the number and the shelter staff member can call the appropriate registry for the identity of the owner.

So take the time to discuss this option with your veterinarian and give your pet the gift of safety.