December of 2012: a Yorkie lost for five years finally goes home to his owner. September of 2011: a cat lost in Denver turns up five years later…in Manhattan. She was returned to her home. January of 2013: A cat lost nine years previously is reunited with her family. May 2019: A Jack Russell terrier missing for five years is reunited with his family, right down the road in Elizabethtown. There’s one simple piece of technology to thank for all of these stories: a microchip. Many of us settle into the comfortable idea that our pets will never escape or become lost, but it only takes one time to change you and your pet’s life forever. If you adopted your pet from a rescue or shelter, odds are good that he’s already chipped. Call the rescue, or take him to the vet and have him scanned to double check; and if he is, give the company a call and make sure that the chip is registered and current. If he’s not, don’t leave your pet’s safety up to chance – talk to your veterinarian about getting your dog or cat microchipped today. Microchips are more or less exactly what they sound like: tiny computer chips, about the size of a grain of rice. They’re implanted just under the skin, usually between a pet’s shoulders. Each chip has a unique serial number, and the pet’s owner can register the chip with the company that made it. If a pet is found and scanned, the vet clinic, rescue, or animal control agency doing the scanning calls the manufacturer to find out who the pet belongs to and how to get in touch with them. HomeAgain is the biggest name in microchips (and the company that we use), but other prominent microchip companies include AVID and 24PetWatch. Is a microchip a replacement for the ID tags most pets wear? No. A sturdy collar with current ID tags is still your pet’s first line of defense when it comes to finding his way home, because it’s a visible sign that says “I have a home.” If someone finds a pet with ID tags, they don’t have to take the extra step of getting that pet scanned for a chip to know he has a family. But collars can break or slip off, and tags can become illegible with wear. Microchips don’t fall off and they don’t wear down; they’re a permanent safety net for your pet. There is one catch, though: in order for a microchip to be useful, you have to keep your registration up to date. Fortunately, that’s easy and for most companies, HomeAgain included, costs you nothing: just call the company if you move or change your phone number and have them update your account. The technology works; we have sent countless lost pets who otherwise might never have been reunited with their families straight home, thanks to that wonderful little chip. Drop us a line at 859-873-5491 or manager@woodfordhumane.org to learn more.