Can I see some ID? The need to microchip

Last year, nearly 400 stray animals arrived at the shelter, most of which were never reclaimed by their families. Very rarely does a stray animal show up at the shelter wearing a collar and ID tags. Why then do many pet owners rely on ID tags alone to help reunite them with their pets should they go missing?

As part of the adoption process, all cats and dogs at the shelter receive a microchip. Smaller than a grain of rice, microchips are injected with a preloaded sterile needle under the skin between an animal's shoulder blades. For your pet, receiving a microchip is much like getting a vaccine. Each microchip is encoded with a unique number that shows up on a microchip scanner when your pet is scanned by a vet, animal control officer, or at the shelter.

Unlike an ID tag, a microchip does not fade with age or degrade over time. Although a microchip is designed to last a lifetime, it is up to you to make sure the microchip is registered and up-to-date with your current contact information. Unfortunately, many animals that are microchipped are not returned to their homes because their owners never register or update their pet's microchips, making it impossible to track them down.

Getting your pet microchipped is an added way to keep them safe should they ever go missing. Microchips can be given to your pet by your vet or local animal shelter. Cocheco Valley Humane Society will be holding a rabies and microchip clinic on Saturday, April 4^th from 11am to 2pm at the shelter. Microchips, including the registration fee, are just $25. For more information, go to www.cvhsonline.org/outreachevents.cfm.

Alaina Goodnough is the Promotions Coordinator at Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover, NH. She lives in Sanford, ME with two parrots, a cockatoo, two cats, a bearded dragon, and two dachshunds. She can be reached at CVHS at devassist@cvhsonline.org. To learn more about Cocheco Valley Humane Society, go to www.cvhsonline.org or call 603-749-5322.