Microchips keeping pets safe

The Windsor/Essex Humane Society is offering a service to pet owners to put their fears of losing their furry friends to rest.

Microchips are one of the latest tools that pet owners can use to ensure that their cat or dog will be returned safely to them should they ever run away or get lost. There are many benefits to using microchips for pet identification as opposed to older methods like tags and collars.

“A microchip is a great form of permanent identification. It will last through the lifetime of the animal in most cases and it’s permanent,” said Melanie Coulter, Executive Director of the Windsor/Essex Humane Society.

“Not like a collar that can fall off and be removed, this is implanted right under the skin and the animal doesn’t feel it but it does identify them for life.”

The microchips are 1.5mm long (about the size of a grain of rice) and are implanted between the shoulder blades of the animal with a needle. According to Coulter, the animals barely feel the chips being inserted and sometimes aren’t even awake when it happens.

“It’s usually done when they’re under for surgery so it’s even better,” Coulter explains. “Even if they’re awake at the shelter all of our adopted animals have microchips and most of them yelp a little bit more about their vaccines and don’t even notice the microchip.”

If an animal that has the chip is turned into the Humane Society any of the staff can scan them with a simple hand scanner and read that pet’s identification number. That number is then put in their computer system which gives the Humane Society the pet’s name, owner’s name, address, phone number and any medical history the cat or dog may have. This not only is a great way to protect the animals but also to put the owner’s minds at ease.

“If they ever got hit, or they got lost you could take them to a vet or the humane society, they can get scanned in 2 seconds and be returned to you,” said Bruce Shott, a local pet owner who got the chip implanted in his cat Daisy on September 25. “It’s all about peace of mind.”

The Windsor/Essex Humane Society will be holding a microchip clinic on Thursday, Oct. 16 where any pet owner can bring their cat or dog in to be implanted with the chip for only $20.