Information from Volunteers for Animals:
For $30, you can have the peace of mind that if your pet gets lost, there's hope it can be reunited with you. It's called microchipping and there will be a clinic set up at the Hogs for Paws animal shelter fundraiser on Aug. 16 at Stan's Harley-Davidson.
From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., your cat or dog can be microchipped, which includes the injection, a collar ID tag and national registration with AVID.
Each dog or cat must be accompanied by someone who can control it. Cats MUST be in carriers. Please bring the name of your vet and an alternate contact person (name, address and number) for registration purposes. Accepted payment is either cash or checks (made out to Volunteers For Animals), sorry no credit cards. No preregistration necessary.
What is a microchip?
The microchip is a tiny computer chip which has an identification number programmed into it and is encapsulated within a biocompatible material. The whole device is small enough to fit inside a hypodermic needle and can be simply injected under the skin of our pets, where it will stay for the life of the animal. This provides a permanent, positive identification which cannot be lost, altered or intentionally removed -- a safe, simple and inexpensive way to protect your pet against loss or theft.The computer memory in the microchip contains a unique number -- no two animals will ever have the same number. A radio signal is used to read this number through the skin of your pet. It is routine for animal shelters and veterinarian offices to scan pets for microchips.
Here are two stories to think about.
Chevy the Cat
Chevy was a stray cat that came into the Shelter from Summit Street in Batavia. She had been on her own throughout the winter. She had a BB lodged in her side and patches of fur missing, most likely from a car engine fan. She was posted for adoption on our Web site and within days her family spotted her on the Web site. They came into the Shelter and sure enough it was her. They lived a block away on Tracy Avenue. Chevy had bolted from the house in the fall. They were lucky in many ways: the nice person on Summit took her to the vet for her care and brought her to the Shelter and they spotted her on the Web site. Had Chevy been microchipped we could have found her family more quickly without risk of her being adopted by someone else. Even house cats need to be microchipped!
Molly the Dog
Molly was found in Oakfield after being missing for two years. After setting traps, leaving food and lots of patience, they were finally able to catch this bedraggled dog. Molly was taken to the Genesee County Animal Shelter and that is when they found she was microchipped. They called the owner and gave her the incredible news that her dog who had ran away two years ago was at the Shelter. It was quite a reunion which never would have happened had Molly not been microchipped. Microchips talk for animals when collars and tags go missing.
