Chip Off A Good Sam

Late last week, a Good Sam brought a stray dog into our clinic.  The dog had, somewhat surprisingly, jumped into the Good Sam's car without hesitation.  He did have a little more hesitation, though, about getting back out of the car.  In fact, this dog was quite adamant about staying in the Good Sam's car.  After some coaxing, he finally agreed to come out.  We brought the dog, who was a bit out of his element and a little scared, into the clinic, and to our delight, he had a microchip.  We retrieved the owner's contact information from the database and left a message.  The following morning, the dog was reunited with his human.  And the story had a very happy ending.

This experience reminded me that not all such mishaps end so happily, or so quickly.  Even owners who take the time to make sure their pet wears a collar with a tag may not end up being reunited so quickly with their pet.  Collars come off and then all identifying information is lost.  This is not to say that collars are not important - they are!  Collars and tags are the most visible identification a pet can wear.  They are often a clear sign to those who come in contact with a pet that the pet is well-cared for and loved by a family.  But microchips are a foolproof and permanent way to make sure that if your pets end up in either a shelter or a veterinary hospital, they will always have identifying information on them.  In the end, it is always best to have both forms of identification for your pets.

Microchips are inserted under the skin between your pet's shoulder blades through a quick injection.  The chip contains a number that is kept in a nationwide database.  Your pet's microchip number links your pet's information to your contact information.  The chip will remain under your pet's skin permanently.  Nearly all shelters and veterinary hospitals have microchip scanners.  We just hold the scanner over the cat or dog's back and wait for the number to appear.  And then we make the very call I made last week - to the owner to let her know that her pet was safe and sound.

While there is a lesson in this mishap, I cannot ask for a better note to end the week on - a happy owner reunited with a lost pet!