Animals die needlessly when humans don't take the necessary action to protect them. A bold statement but a true one, and a problem that has been solved through the introduction of Microchip RFID technology.

A microchip is a small radio transponder which is implanted under the skin near the shoulder blades of the pet via a sterile needle. The chip , about the size of a rice gain, activates a receiver in the scanner which transmits its microchip number to an electronic scanner for veterinary or animal welfare/control personnel to read. They then can determine the type of chip and contact the approriate pet recovery database to discover the owners information.

According to a 1997 study of 1000 animal shelters across America,conducted by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, approximately one million dogs and 584,000 cats were taken in as strays. Unfortunately for the both the owners and animals only 16% of those dogs and 2% of the cats were returned to the owners. It is alarming that thousand of pets are euthanized because their owners cannot be found. We have the power to stop this.

One minute the pet is there, the next they have bolted or silently slunk away. One is reminded of the panic of a mother when their child wanders way in the supermarket, only to be found moments later. The pet may not be noticed as missing as quickly as the child. The microcchip is the silent protector of the animal when they are found when lost or missing by their owners.

Microchipping is often done by animal welfare and control authorities before the animal is adopted and can readily be done in the veterinarian's office inexpensively at the same time vaccinations and or checkups are completed. Owners should ensure that the documentation linking the chip to the owner is sent and registered with a pet recovery database. It is also important to keep the database current by advising of moves and contact changes.

The odds of recovery of a lost pet is enhanced by the microchip compared to other methods. We will still see posters on telephone poles ad bulletin boards when a pet is lost. The owner can avoid further anguish by ensuring the pet has been chipped and registered. The sight of a crying child whose favorite dog or cat has gone missing should remind us as adults of our responsibility as a pet parent

The information contained in the registration allows the rapid contact and return of the animal upon arriving at animal welfare organization. Shelters across North America have scanners that can read and identify a wide variety of chips being used. In the United States there is a movement to international microchip standards (ISO) which are used in most developed countries including Canada. The current non-ISO chips in the US can be read today and in Canada the scanners read both ISO and non-ISO chips in scanners provided specifically for that market.

Microchips have a distinct and discrete code or number which they transmit when excited by a scanner. Depending on the code the registry can easily be contacted by toll free telephone. The registries are not all exclusive to the chip manufacturers and some include all chips that are in the market. The registries have names like Home Again, 24Petwatch and Avid ID. the 24Petwatch registry allows the registration of all microchips regardless of maker. Its database can be searched in real-time by the largest online shelter and rescue software in North America. This assists in recoveries and online searching across geographic boundaries. Having your pet chipped and registered does save lives of countless lost pets.