I, Roverbot – Time To Microchip Your Pet

Pets can be such a wonderful addition to any family. They bring smiles, fun and laughter, teach your kids responsibility (maybe, hopefully) and give them a best friend they can tell anything too. But what happens if the family pet goes missing? How do you tell your kids that their beloved pet has taken off and is lost?

When my husband and I went on our first holiday together a couple of years ago we left our dog with a close friend. The night we flew out there was a huge storm and before we were even on the plane, she had escaped our friend’s backyard and was on the run. She was found in the end but it was very stressful for everyone and it could have all been avoided if she had just been micro chipped. Needless to say this was done just a couple of weeks after we returned and it has come in handy several times since!

There are pet registration sites available now, where you register your animal’s details for free and get a little tag for their collar so if anyone finds them they can look up your details and return them home. However this is only effective if your pet gets lost with their collar on, which of course lots don’t and if the person who finds them is honest and caring enough to go to that trouble. Sadly a lot of people aren’t, or don’t, and the pet just gets turned over to the ranger.

Micro chipping is a simple and almost painless process for a pet in which a microchip is placed under the skin, via injection into the soft scruff of the back of the neck between the shoulder blades. Microchips are a Radio Frequency Identification Device and are about the size of a grain of rice and contain a unique code that is stored on a national database. In some states now it is compulsory to have your pet micro chipped.

Any authorised vet or animal welfare organisation can perform this simple procedure for you, but as there is no set price for this service it is best to shop around to get a good deal. If your pet does go missing, any ranger, animal welfare organisation or vet can scan their microchip, look up your details and return your animal to you. They are also good in a situation where ownership of an animal is contested. Believe it or not it does happen and it is the fastest way to prove without doubt that the animal is, in fact, yours.

This service is great for all kinds of animals, not just dogs and cats. Microchips can also be put into birds, horses, rabbits, almost any kind of pet you can think of. Farmers even use them for tracking their livestock, especially in cases of disputed ownership. Natural disasters also bring the micro chipping system into its own. When many pets are displaced from their homes in an event, it is quick and simple to return pets home with a quick scan of their microchip.

Check out the National Pet Register’s website for more information on where to get micro chipping done for your pet.

http://www.petregister.com.au/microchips/article/about_microchips

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/pet-microchip.htm

http://kb.rspca.org.au/Why-is-it-important-to-ensure-my-pet-is-microchipped_500.html