Happy Dog at Happy Dog Inn

Losing your dog is one of the worst fears for any pet owner.  Dogs cannot talk and ask for help or tell someone what their owners name is.  No matter how well trained your dog is, there is always a risk that your dog could get lost.  A gate gets left open, they burrow a hole under a fence, the door gets left open and they run off, you lose your grip on their leash; the list goes on and on.  A dog should always have a collar and identification tags on but the addition of microchipping is critically important to your dog’s safety.

 

3 Reasons You Should Microchip Your Dog

  1. Collars and Identification Get Lost
    • Many people think microchipping is not necessary because they have a collar and identification on their dog. Surely, if they get lost, someone will just see their identification and call, right?    Unfortunately, many dogs that get lost lose their collars or identification and then even if someone wants to return the dog home, they have no way of identifying your dog. There is no way to lose a microchip so while it may seem redundant, it is the best way to ensure your dog will be able to be identified if found.
  2. Microchipping Significantly Increases the Chance Your Dog Will Come Home
    • When a dog gets lost the chance you hope that they will be returned home but, unfortunately, the odds are not on your side. The American Veterinary Medical Association points out that if a dog is microchipped there is a much higher chance of them finding their way home when lost, “A study of more than 7,700 stray animals at animal shelters showed that dogs without microchips were returned to their owners 21.9% of the time, whereas microchipped dogs were returned to their owners 52.2% of the time. Cats without microchips were reunited with their owners only 1.8% of the time, whereas microchipped cats went back home 38.5% of the time.”
  3. Microchipping Your Dog Is Safe
    • People frequently convey two fears about microchipping. First, that microchipping is unhealthy or unsafe for their dog.  Second, that they fear their information is accessible to anyone and puts their personal information at unnecessary risk.  Microchipping is completely safe and relatively painless for your dog.  It is injected under the skin and is very similar to simply getting a shot.  There is no anesthesia involved and the procedure is over in a matter of seconds.  The microchip in a pet only contains a pet’s identification number so your personal information is not at risk.  Further, it is not a GPS and cannot be tracked.  Only the information you choose to share will be accessible in the pet registry database.