The Importance of microchipping your pet

Losing your dog can be a traumatic and scary event and one that no pet owner really wants to ever experience. As you can imagine, PAWS directly deals with many frantic owners missing their pet and, of course, many dogs being handed in that have been found straying. There are steps that dog owners can take that, should the worst happen, you have peace of mind that you have done what you can to ensure the chances of being reuniting with your dog have been greatly increased. You should ensure your dog wears a collar and identity tag at all times and that your dog is never left unattended in a garden where they can get out or can be seen by dog thieves. However, these are not foolproof methods as collars and tags can be lost or removed and dogs can get adventurous on walks, escape gardens or dog thieves have been crass and trespass on people’s property. However, PAWS are often shocked at how many pet owners admit to not having their dogs microchipped and registered. Many dog owners sadly admit to putting microchipping their dog on the long finger or not updating their own details on the database and, unfortunately, it is often the case that it is then too late when the dog has been lost or stolen.

We at PAWS have unfortunately seen the same case replay too many times when dogs who are clearly family pets are brought in and we have no way of reuniting them with their owner as they have no microchip or they do but the owners’ details are not registered or up to date. Microchips are implantable computer chips that encode a unique identification number that help reunite you with your lost dog. Once your pet is microchipped, you then receive a certificate of verification that your pet is chipped and all your contact details should be on the cert. Microchips are no bigger than a grain of rice and they are placed under your pet’s skin with a needle and syringe, not much different than a routine vaccination. Unlike collars and ID tags, they can never break or fall-off and ensures your dog is permanently identifiable. There have been many cases in Ireland and beyond since microchipping was introduced of dogs that have been missing for years being reunited to their owners. In some cases, dogs have been stolen and been recovered half way across the country or even overseas. Microchipping is also a legal requirement in Ireland for pet owner’s since passing into law in 2015.

Microchipping and ensuring your details are kept up to date on the database is the best way of securing a safe and happy reunion with your missing pet should they ever get lost. For more information and to get your pet chipped, speak to your local vet or to us at PAWS.