I have mine chipped and it is home again. Apparently it is supposed to be anti-migrating and can be read by any scanner including international if I travel etc. I haven't had any issues, but it's only been about a month or so.

I quite agree. :)

When someone let my dog out of my back yard years ago, my dog's reaction was all the proof a Sheriff's Deputy needed to determine she was my dog as I navigated her back across a busy secondary highway with only hand signals.

I am glad you were able to get your Springer back and, since you had to be 'demanding' to even get her scanned to find the chip, I see why you worry about 'next' time. I do hope you never have that worry ever again. :D

First I want to tell people that if they ever have a missing pet to go to the shelters daily! Most of those places have a large volunteer work force and they do not have great communication skills. You would think that a place that deals with lost animals would have a better system but most do not. Go and check everyday and ask questions EVERYDAY.

Most of the bigger breeds that are chipped as puppies grow quite a bit after the chip is placed so anyone with half a bit of knowledge should know enough to scan a large area to check for a it. But then again if you are dealing with part time volunteers that is the kind of thing that happens way too often.

Gracie was quite a bit thinner when she was chipped. I could feel the chip in her skin for months after it was placed. Now that she has gained some healthy weight I can't feel it anymore but it showed up when tested at the vet. It is a good idea to have your vet scan for the chip at yearly check ups just to make sure everything is as it should be.

The chip worked, it just migrated, and it seems to me the onlyplace the worker looked was in the typical nape of the neck area.
If you look on those animal cop shows, when they DO scan for a chip, you will see they scan the whole front end of the dog. Not just the nape, but the shoulders and down the legs.
Not only that, many shelters had scanners donated to them because when chipping was taking off. If they had an Avid scanner, they typically started using AVID chips, if they got a Home Again scanner, they typically started using Home Again chips. Not only could neither scanner read the other chip, the scanners needed to be right up on top of the chip to read the ship it was supposed to be able to read.

True story. The SPCA had my VERY expensive Portuguese imported Beauceron in their shelter. Not only did they list Aramis as a Rott/Shep cross, they COULD NOT read EITHER of his chips, as he'd had a European chip and when I got him here, an American chip.
Irony. He was chipped AT the SPCA's vet. I actually had to run over to a friends, borrow HER scanner and prove he was chipped because they kept telling me that was NOT my dog, that was a rott/shep and he's not chipped, and they would not release him to me.
So it's not the chip, it's the worker OR the scanner. The chip did work, it did it's job. It was read once it was located.
As others have said, older chips did have a tendency to migrate. There shouldn't be any issue with that in chipping your puppy.

About how much is it to get a microchip in your pup?

It varies, but I think it was only $30 to get the vet to microchip Joey and to pay for lifetime registration. Only additional costs is if we change contact information. Ask your vet.

My girl's was done last Wednesdy, Home Again brand only $42 at my new vet's office. Well worth the money in my opinion.

I paid about $45 to have Gracie Micro chipped at the time she was spayed. That included everything. No additional charges. I did go online and put in her information and contact numbers. That can be updated whenever I need to do so. Well worth it to me.

Buddy is microchipped and I have it checked at every vet visit to make sure it is still working.