How To Register My Pet's Chip

No affair how careful nosotros are with our pets, there'south no question that some are born escape artists. And even the most docile pets aren't immune to the occasional wander.

According to statistics, one in 3 pets volition go missing at some signal in their lifetime. If you lot've ever felt that trauma first-mitt or the simple thought of it fills you with dread, one thing is for sure: You know at that place's nothing you wouldn't do to get a lost domestic dog or cat nestled safely dorsum in your arms...fast.

Here's the good news: If your pet is microchipped, the key to a speedy and successful reunion is already in place. But in order to unlock its ability, there'due south one more crucial stride you need to take: register your pet's microchip. Information technology's the single most important thing you can do to ensure your pet's rubber render. Luckily, it's also the easiest!

And research proves that this i unproblematic step is absolutely worth the few minutes it takes to complete. According to a 2009 study of 7,700 lost pets, 52% of microchipped dogs and 39% of microchipped cats were successfully reunited with their families.

Unfortunately, of the chipped pets who did not brand it home safely, the report revealed unregistered microchips or those with outdated data were the primary reasons.

Simple Microchip Registration

According to experts, an estimated twoscore% of microchipped pets are walking around with unregistered chips. That'south like splurging on shiny new tags for your domestic dog or cat, but leaving them bare...If someone finds your lost pet, how will they know how to contact you?

While microchip registry sounds like a no-brainer, even the almost responsible pet parents sometimes get batty by pretty common scenarios. Such as:

Many shelters automatically microchip animals in their care. Merely brand new pet parents might not realize they need to register the chip.
Some people confuse chip registration with needing to obtain a local license for their pet.
Even experienced pet parents sometimes forget to register a scrap in the excitement of welcoming a new family member.
And what happens if you misplace your paperwork and can't effigy out how to update your registry or whether your pet was ever chipped to begin with?

No need to worry...or to let these unanswered questions keep you lot from reuniting with a lost pet i second longer than you have to. In 2 easy steps, here's how to ensure your pet's microchip is properly registered, once and for all.

Step 1: Verify Your Pet's Microchip

If you're one of those organizationally-gifted people who can summon their pet's microchip number at a moment'southward notice, huzzah! You can proceed directly to Step ii.

The residuum of us may demand a bit of aid. Luckily, you take plenty of options:

Call your vet. Even if your files aren't the tidiest, if you've ever shared your pet'southward microchip registry number with your vet, the office should have information technology on tape. This is the option of beginning resort for many pet parents. It's convenient, fast, and free!

Contact your breeder, shelter or rescue. No matter where you got your pet, it'due south possible they came to yous already microchipped. So don't hesitate to contact a breeder or shelter for your pet's microchip number...even if you lot're afraid it will brand you look similar a bad pet parent. It's typically costless, and it'due south much more than common than you think.

Go your pet scanned. If you notwithstanding can't confirm your pet'south microchip number, it's fourth dimension to bring them to a pro. About veterinarians, animate being shelters, and even animal control offices tin browse your pet to encounter if they have a microchip — oftentimes free of charge. Be sure to call ahead to confirm toll and make certain they utilise a universal scanner, which reads all frequencies and then it's more probable to find any scrap, regardless of manufacturer.

Pace 2: Annals Your Pet'south Microchip

Once you've confirmed your microchip number, registering it is gratis and takes no more than a few minutes. You can practise it yourself on the 24PetWatch Pet Registry Portal or past calling 1-866-597-2424 to work directly with a Pet Registry Specialist.

That's it! Once you're done, your pet's unique microchip ID will forever be linked to the information you entered in the registry. Congrats on taking the most important pace you can, to assist ensure your pet makes it domicile to you safely.

But what does that really mean? Can you track your pet wherever they go like you can with some food commitment services? Now that you've registered your pet'south microchip, it's important to understand exactly what they can — and can't — do.

How Do Microchip Registries Work?

Your pet's microchip is a tiny piece of technology — no larger than a grain of rice — that stores a unique ID number. Think of information technology like a barcode, Microchip Scanner except that it resides safely and securely inside your pet's body just under the surface of their skin, so it tin never get lost.

There are many dissimilar microchip manufacturers, only information technology doesn't affair who made the flake inside your pet. Some microchips operate on dissimilar frequencies, only a universal scanner can read them all. Even and so, the but thing a scan will reveal is the microchip's unique ID number.

That's why registering the chip is so of import. When a lost pet is found and scanned, a shelter tin can quickly search that ID number in a database to find out where that pet is registered, then alert the registry that the pet has been plant. If the microchip is registered properly, that registry then alerts the pet parent on file to arrange the happy reunion!

What microchips don't do is track your pet'southward location 24/7 so yous can observe them the minute they go missing. They also don't store any private data. And they're best used in improver to — non instead of — standard pet ID tags.

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Microchip Registry

Hopefully, by at present, there's no incertitude in your heed only how important it is to properly register your pet's microchip. Simply when a pet is missing, you desire to make sure you take the all-time possible adventure of reuniting with them.

According to Dana Rayman, Director of the 24PetWatch Call Center, here's how to become even more out of your microchip registry and improve your odds of a successful reunion.

Free Microchip Registry

"When you annals your microchip with 24PetWatch, yous become free access to the online portal and lost pet recovery services. That means when your pet goes missing, you tin can take immediate action and get our Lost Pet Recovery Team on the instance, instead of just worrying or hoping for the all-time," said Rayman.

Here'south how that works:

The minute y'all realize your pet is missing, you can written report your lost pet at any time of the twenty-four hours or night.
The Lost Pet Recovery Team volition then search for your pet'south microchip ID in their nationwide database of institute pets.

If they become a hitting, they'll notify you using the contact information you included in your registry. (Even more reason to make sure that info is always updated!)

Pet Protection Services Membership

Nevertheless, finding a lost pet is seldom elementary, and most pet parents want to do everything in their power to reunite with their lost pets as quickly as possible. That's why 24PetWatch offers enhanced Pet Protection Services as part of an Annual Membership ($29.95/twelvemonth) or Lifetime Membership ($94.95).

"A Pet Protection Membership is the equivalent of 911 for pet parents," says Rayman. "Instead of self-service reporting and updates if there'southward a hit in the database, yous get instant, live access to a Lost Pet Recovery Specialist who can not only expedite your search, simply too provide additional support and ideas to help you become your pet dorsum faster."

Hither's how that works:

Experienced Recovery Experts are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a calendar week, 365 days a year, prepare to speak with y'all directly the minute you report your pet missing.
In addition to searching their database in existent time, Recovery Experts too reach out to local facilities and shelters so they tin can be on the lookout for your pet.
They provide tried-and-true suggestions, like placing your pet'south bed outside your door to help them odor their way dwelling, and even help you create a custom Lost Pet poster.
All-time of all, with DirectConnect, Recovery Experts take the ability to instantly connect you directly with the facility or finder who has your pet the 2nd they are institute to arrange a safe, happy reunion.

"The best role of working directly with our members is that there's no delay," said Rayman. "If we become a telephone call at iv:00 AM saying someone found your pet, you can bet nosotros're waking you upward to give you the good news."

"Membership also gives you unlimited updates to your registry information, so information technology'due south easy to continue it up to engagement. And you tin can even add trusted friends and family unit as contacts. That's cardinal if nosotros can't achieve you or if your number has changed; We'll call your secondary contacts until we find someone who can get your pet right away."

Lifetime Pet Protection Membership offers a range of additional benefits, including a $25 PetCo coupon, exclusive discounts, and twelvemonth-long access to a 24/7 Vet Hotline and 24PetMedAlert^®.

But the biggest do good of registering with 24PetWatch is the all-encompassing network of shelters and facilities that work with the visitor every bit a long-standing leader in the field of lost pet recovery. Thanks to that partnership, over 90% of pets adopted from shelters are already chipped and registered to their pet parents through 24PetWatch, said Rayman.

"On boilerplate, nosotros're reuniting betwixt iii,000-4,000 pets with their parents each month...most of them through DirectConnect. And at that place's goose egg similar hearing the relief in someone's voice when they know nosotros're nearly to connect them to someone who has their pet, safe and audio."

Click for more information on registering your microchip or Pet Protection Service Membership, or call a 24PetWatch representative at one-866-597-2424.

Karen Vitale is a long-fourth dimension writer, creator and creature lover whose piece of work has been featured everywhere from Disney Studios to The Smithsonian Institutions.