I volunteer at the front desk for our local animal shelter, and take calls from frantic owners looking for their missing pets. I also greet the Good Samaritans who had find stray animals and bring them to the shelter. Animals that are micro-chipped are only two phone calls from being reunited with their owners. One call to the manufacturer to get the owner info, and one call to the owner telling them that their pet has been found.
(But micro-chipping isn't enough. You MUST remember to update the manufacturer with your information every time you move, or when you get a new cell phone number.)
There is a reason that shelters, rescue groups and vets promote micro-chipping, and it isn't because they make money off of them. It's because they know that they are a valuable tool in keeping owners and pets together.
No matter how careful we are with our pets, there is always a risk that they will become lost. I won't bore you with all of the unlikely stories I've heard, but even the most loved and pampered animals get lost. Collars can come off, or be removed by pet thieves. I'd never heard that there could be health risks from the micro-chip itself, but that risk seems small in comparison to what can happen if any of my animals get lost or stolen.
I will always microchip my animals. |