Microchips common in pets to ensure protection

Man’s best friend is exactly that. So who wants to take any risks with something so important if it can be prevented?
   With this reasoning in mind, many people choose to get their “best friend” microchipped.
   “I did not want to (do it),” GBHS teacher Katrina Wachs said, “because it felt like Big Brother would be watching. But I did it, because ultimately she is a rascal and if something happened to her, I would feel better knowing I could find her.”
   This little device is placed in the pet and can last up to 25 years, so for most pets, their entire life.
   We’ve all seen a random dog running through our neighborhood or down a street, but most of us won’t stop to find their owners.
   Eventually, many of those pets end up at a pound. And from there, the chances of them returning home are slim.
   The one hope is that the animal is microchipped. If they are, the pound can scan for the chip and it will run through the database and show what owner it’s registered under.
   “It is a little bit weird though, I have to say. But, ultimately when you love your animals, you want the best for them and if this could help, so be it,” Wachs said.
    Most veterinary hospitals offer the procedure, including the local Bayside Animal Hospital on Douglas Blvd.
   But the chip isn’t the only part needed in order to assure a pet’s safe return home. The microchip scanner and an accurate database are necessary to find the pet’s owner.
  “It stores an identification number and transmits that information through radio waves to the appropriate scanner,” said Dr. Dawn Ruben, a veterinarian at Bayside Animal Hospital. “This makes it highly unlikely that the same identifying code will be used more than once.”
   With such a simple system, it makes sense that so many pet owners get their pets chipped. Many locals are very much in favor of it because they care about their pets.
   “We got our dog microchipped because we wanted to be able to find her if she ever ran away,” Granite Bay resident Lisa Saqui said.
   Putting a tag on their collar showing that pets have been microchipped and what kind of microchip they have is another way to help ensure the safety of a beloved pet. It is important for shelters to know specifically what type of microchip it has.
   There are two major companies that supply these microchips: American Veterinary Identification Devices (AVID) and HomeAgain.
   Apart from these, there are more companies that have their own codes and scanners that are not compatible with other companies’ chips.
   Recently, however, there has been a scanner that can read all of these chips: the Universal Scanner. It is in the process of being placed in animal shelters all over the country.
   The next logical step to improving microchips is the adoption of the International Standard Frequency microchip.
   Many companies use this chip, but not all have switched over to it yet. When this microchip is in place, there would only be one common microchip and scanner.
   “Most people really care about their pets and want to make sure they’re safe, so why not have them microchipped?” GBHS senior Dani Nations said. “If you love something, you naturally want to protect it.”

Photo credit: SHARONYA SHRIVASTAVA