I have to tell you, nothing riles us up at the shelter more than having an animal come into us with a microchip that goes nowhere. It either wasn’t registered in the first place or the owners moved and never changed the information with the microchip company.
Maddie is a super sweet 7-year-old hound mix who is in that, exact situation. Someone took the time to microchip her but never took the time to register the chip to their names.
We could have gotten her home where she belongs, but we can’t.
It is so frustrating.
Microchips are supposed to provide happy endings for animals who get away from their owners and the concept began in the 1990s.
Identification of our pets can be a tricky thing because even if the dog or cat has a collar, nine times out of 10, he or she will lose it during their time roaming the streets.
While tags are good for record keeping – every dog in Pennsylvania three months or older must be licensed, and every dog and cat must have a rabies vaccination if they live in a human inhabited dwelling – they aren’t all that permanent and can be lost incredibly fast.
Tattoos seem like they’d be more long-lasting, but I’ve seen a number of them on dogs over the years that you just can’t read. Skin changes as an animal – or person, for that matter – ages and tattoos can get all stretched out. If the source of identification can’t be read, they’re pretty ineffective.
Microchips, on the other hand, are embedded just under the skin between the shoulder blades of the pet and have only a number that can be read by a scanner found in most animal shelters and vets’ offices. They can’t be used as a GPS tracking system and don’t emit any kind of radio waves or frequencies.
I’ve heard stories of microchips that migrate into different areas of the body, but they are truly few and far between. And believe me, when we scan an animal, we go all over the front part of his body. We want to find a chip, that’s for sure.
There have been times when we find microchips that enable us to contact Mom or Dad, and the animal doesn’t have to spend a single night in the shelter. That’s why you give your pet a microchip in the first place.
In theory, if all animals were microchipped, we’d have far, far fewer strays, and we’d be able to get animals home where they belong.
In fact, I found a study from the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association that studied more than 7,700 stray animals at animal shelters that found dogs without microchips were returned to their owners 21.9 percent of the time, whereas microchipped dogs were returned to their owners 52.2 percent of the time. Cats without microchips were reunited with their owners only 1.8 percent of the time, whereas microchipped cats went back home 38.5 percent of the time
Those statistics show that microchips do work.
But please, please, please, please if you do opt to have your pets microchipped, please remember to register the chip and maintain the correct information for as long as you have the animal.
That way if he or she ever does get lost, you can have a much better chance of finding your baby.
Microchips do work, but they require humans to keep the information up to date. Please make sure your microchips are properly registered so your baby can get home.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the Publications and Promotions Consultant for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at cvascomm@cvas-pets.org. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, people may call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. People may help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
