According to the American Humane Association, one out of three pets will become lost at some point in their lifetime. Think about that. There’s a 33% chance your four-legged best friend could get lost. We hate that stat.

Close to 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the US every year. According to the Coalition for Reuniting Pets and Families, less than 23% of lost pets in the United States are reunited with their owners. We hate that stat too.

But we’re not just going to take this sitting down. We’re doing something about it by microchipping animals — over 2,000 animals every year including every animal adopted from FAMD.

Because, simply put, microchipping makes a difference. According to a study in the American Veterinary Medical Association Journal, dogs with chips make it home more than 52% of the time, vs 22% without. For cats, the numbers are even more striking: 38% with chips are reunited with their owners vs. only 2% without them

We know the numbers don’t lie because we’ve seen the power of microchipping first-hand. FAMD has helped reunite owners with dogs who were found thousands of miles away — as far as Utah! At FAMD, our mission is to strengthen the human animal connection, and microchips help make sure it’s never broken in the first place.

What is a microchip and how does it work?
Microchips are small electronic devices encapsulated in glass about the size of a grain of rice. The microchip includes a small antenna that is activated when someone scans it. The scanner emits a radio wave that picks up the chip’s information. The scan provides an identification number which is then searched in the manufacturer’s microchip registry database which has the owners name, address, email, and phone number.

But my pet already has a collar…
That’s a good start, but microchips are so much better because they’re permanent and can’t be lost or tampered with. Pets can lose a collar or ID tag, or someone can remove them. Chips are always with your pet wherever they go.

How do I get my pet microchipped?
Every animal adopted from FAMD comes microchipped, but if your pet doesn’t have one, we regularly hold 100% free microchip clinics at the shelter. Call or email us to find out when the next one is scheduled.

What else do I need to know?
It’s absolutely crucial to make sure you keep your contact information associated with the microchip updated. You can learn how to do that quickly and easily at: preventivevet.com/dogs/how-to-update-your-pets-microchip