What is a Microchip?
Our facility uses the InfoPet microchip. This particular brand is painlessly injected under the skin and is no bigger than a grain of rice. Each chip has its own unique 10 digit number; this number is then sent with the dogs name and breed to the InfoPet registry and kept on record. If the dog is ever scanned this number will come up and the InfoPet registry will be able to track the dog back to Canine Adoption and Rescue League. At that point we will then contact the owner and the dog will be returned safely to its home.
Since May 27, 2004 with the help of a very generous start up grant from PETsMART Charities, CARL has been successfully administering its Microchip Program. The goal of this program is to ensure the safety of all incoming and outgoing dogs in our program. Every dog in our program is scanned upon entry (in case of being a “lost dog”) and chipped upon adoption (so that if they are ever lost they will be returned safely to us). We are happy to announce that as of 8/1/07 our program has successfully microchipped over 700 dogs.
We’ve found this program to be very successful and helpful to the community. To date we have had at least 11 cases in which a dog was brought to us, had a microchip and then returned to his/her owner. This number may not sound very high but to us, every dog we can help is worth it.
We would again like to thank PETsMART Charities for the opportunity to start this program. This microchip program has been a great success and we will strive to continue its success into the future.
Canine Adoption and Rescue League is capable of reading the two main brands of chips, InfoPet and AVID.
Donations to keep this program running are greatly appreciated. You can Donate Now!
Microchip Success Stories
In mid 2004, two dogs were found loose on the streets. Their rescuer brought the dogs into our program and we promptly scanned them. Luckily, the dogs had chips, and after calling Info-pet registry, we were able to reunite the dogs to their owners. Without the two scanners donated to us, we would have had to post flyers and hope that the owners knew where to look for their lost pets.
Another story began when sadly, one of our Adoptable Dogs named Bart got out of his kennel and ran away. His collar had fallen off and he had disappeared. Our efforts to find Bart produced few leads and everyone had all but given up hope of his safe return. Nine months later, our Program Director received a call from Animal Regulation reporting that Bart had been turned in to the pound as an owner turn in. The family that had found Bart claimed he was theirs but they were moving out of the area and could not take him with them, they wanted to turn him in. Luckily, thanks to the PETSMART Charities Grant for funding our microchip program and Animal Regulation’s procedures to scan any and every dog coming into the shelter, they were able to trace Bart back to us through his chip. Bart was back with us the next day. Shortly after being taken in by the family, Bart jumped out of a second story window and broke his leg. The family could not afford the vet bill and failed to have the leg treated. Unfortunately, Bart is currently unable to use the leg and just carries it around with him. This story seems bittersweet, but without the microchip, Animal Regulation would never have been able to trace Bart back to us. Now that he is home, we have taken the steps necessary in assessing the condition of his leg and he has already undergone his surgery. His leg had to be amputated due to the severeness of his injury. Bart, however, continues in life like any other dog, except for the fact that he only has three legs, and he does just fine. He loves life and continues to be a great companion in search of a permanent loving home.
