Microchipping your Pet

Recently, the Today Show featured a story about a Beagle named Rocco who had been returned to his family after being lost. The reason this story is so incredible is because Rocco was found 850 miles away from where he was lost, 5 years later. In 2003, Rocco slipped under a fence in New York City. The Villacis family placed posters and signs around their neighborhood and surrounding area in hopes that someone would return Rocco. Some time passed and Rocco wasn’t returned. While they feared Rocco was lost forever, now 11 year old Natalie never gave up hope that Rocco would come home.

On July 5^th, 2008, the Villacis family received a call from Liberty County, Ga., Animal Control. The family was surprised to learn that the shelter said they had their dog. The Villacis family didn’t believe it at first, but when the shelter revealed the name of the dog, two members of the family hopped a plane to go retrieve him. Rocco is reunited with his family. Because he was microchipped, the shelter was able to access his data from a database and contact the family.

This goes to show you how important it can be to microchip your pet. The process is virtually painless and for a small subscription fee, you can have the peace of mind that your pet can be returned if lost. A unique ID number is assigned to each chip which is readable by scanners provided to shelters and vet offices.

For more information about microchipping your pet, contact your local shelter or veterinary office.