Microchips Prevent Misfortune!

May, what a glorious time of year. The flowers are blooming, and the trees become filled with different shades of green...summer is just around the corner now. May marks the beginning of summer vacation season. But before you know it, your worst nightmare could come true. A door is left open, your dog picks up a scent and runs with it, your playful pup (a dirt-mining artisan?) digs a hole under the fence, gets spooked and heads for hills. Or a stranger takes your pet. There are various ways our beloved furbabies may escape. You’ve frantically posted flyers around your neighborhood, pet stores and vet offices, placed ads in the local paper, shared your pet’s photo and contact information across social media, and responsibly put your contact information on your pet’s ID tag. Yet, shockingly, only 22% of dogs and 2% of ‘lost’ cats who arrive in shelters are reunited with their owners. The number of dogs and cats reunited after being microchipped are 52% and 38%, respectively. Microchipping your pet makes a world of difference!

What is a Microchip?
Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice. Plus, they’re affordable. You can microchip your pet during its next vet visit. Or take advantage of the fact that many shelters will either microchip your pet or charge a very reasonable fee to do so. Pet stores often run promotions offering discounted microchipping, so there are many options and few excuses not to take this important step as a pet owner. These small, electronic chips are encased in glass, and inserted under your pet’s skin, typically between the shoulder blades. They can last about 25 years. Veterinarian offices and most shelters have a universal scanner. These scanners will provide the user with your pet’s ID number. Next, that ID number can then be entered into an online universal pet microchip database such as AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup. If your pet has been registered online, this will pull up the pet's information such as their name, photo, gender, medical history, a way to contact the owner, and whatever information you choose to make available. Half the battle is registering your pet online. Your vet or shelter will give you the ID number and instructions on how to a pet. Fifty-eight percent 58% of microchipped pets are registered online, let’s work together to get that number to 100%. This is your best option for your pet to be safely returned home.
Why Microchip?
A classic example of the power of the chip is this story. Almost two years after being reported lost, a dog named Zeus was reunited with his family, thanks to a microchip!  Zeus had eventually turned up at an animal shelter in Detroit-- over 1,000 miles from his Florida home. Read the full story from CBS Detroit here and watch the heartwarming reunion video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYFbcCZ3hoY&feature=youtu.be   Not gonna' lie - we teared up a bit watching this reunion video!