You hope you never have to rely on it, but if you do, microchipping your pet can significantly increase the chance of your pet returning home if he or she goes missing. Collars and tags are great visuals for Good Samaritans finding lost pets, but what happens if those items are damaged, broken or lost?
Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are implanted just under the skin between the shoulder blades. It is administered much like a vaccination. The Homeagain microchips our veterinarians use have anti-migratory technology, meaning the microchip will not migrate to another location from the shoulder blades. In addition, if you enjoy traveling with your pet, you can travel internationally and still have the chip recognized. This comes in particularly handy for military families.
Microchips are not GPS locating devices, they only serve to provide contact information about the pet’s owners. If your pet is scanned at another veterinary clinic or shelter, your pet has a specific chip number linked to your contact information. This ID number is given to Homeagain, which in turn, provides the owner’s contact information. A very important characteristic of microchips, no matter which brand they are, is that pet owners must keep their information up to date in order for the chips to serve their purpose. If you move, change phone numbers, etc. please remember to update your information by going to Homeagain’s website and logging into your account.
If your pet is microchipped at our facility, the implantation fee includes implantation, lifetime registration on the national database, and a one year membership for Home Again’s pet location assistance. Call to schedule an appointment today or have the procedure performed at the time of surgery at a $5 reduced rate.
Salty’s Story
“On July 31, 2011 Salty got off his leash accidentally when it wasn’t properly clasped while on vacation in Orlando, Fl. I did everything I could, I sent his picture to all local vets/shelters/rescues and posted him all over the internet, but I had to go home. After weeks of calling every craigslist ad and re-emailing and posting his information, I lost hope that I would see my sweet boy again. A month later I even adopted a new dog to help fill the gap Salty left behind.
On October 16, 2011, two and a half months later, I got a call from an Animal Control officer with Orange County Animal Services. They had found Salty!! After tracking him for 11 days they finally trapped him and brought him into the shelter. When they scanned him for a microchip they found my information and immediately called me. I was down to Orlando and back home with my boy in less than 24 hours. This is the video of our reunion. I couldn’t help but cry and you can tell how excited he was to be back with his family.
Because of an amazing microchip and the relentless Animal Control officer, my boy is back where he belongs. Microchip your pets!! It seriously saves lives. Also, support your local shelters and animal services, they are amazing people!!”
– -Delana, Salty’s owner