Nowadays it's common practice to have a new pet microchipped or tattooed to make it easier to find them if they become lost. What many pet owners don't realize is that in order for the microchip to be useful, it needs to be registered.
According to BC SPCA, approximately 95 per cent of cats and 30 per cent of dogs cannot be traced to their guardian.
BC Pet Registry manager Priscilla Cheung was at qathet Community Animal Centre on Thursday, May 15, talking to people in attendance for a renaming ceremony about the program.
"Everybody thinks, 'Oh, my dog is microchipped and taken care of,'" said Cheung. "We looked at the numbers and one-in-five animals have never registered."
According to BC SPCA, thousands of lost and stray animals are taken to Canadian shelters annually. Without permanent identification, it is nearly impossible to identify lost animals and reunite them with their families.
"What it means is that the dog has a microchip, but it's never linked to anything," said Cheung. "What we want to do right now is generate awareness, to make sure the public knows about this."
Cheung said she has seen the look of shock on a pet parent’s face when they realize their predicament.
"So, to find out the microchip number, during your vet visit, bring your dog in and do a scan," said Cheung. "It's always a good habit to ask the vet to scan, because usually they get implanted in-between the shoulder blades, and once you scan, you will be able to find the numbers, but your vet probably has the number for you."
Cheung said the microchip number is usually 15 digits and included in the vaccine record; pet owners can go online and register it.
BC SPCA states on its website that without a contact linked to a permanent ID, a microchip or tattoo is simply a number. By registering a pet’s ID with BC Pet Registry, the contact information is linked to their microchip, tattoo or licence.
"This is our 10-year anniversary for the program," said Cheung.
All BC SPCA dogs, cats and rabbits are microchipped and registered with BC Pet Registry at the point of adoption. Non-BC SPCA pets with an existing microchip can also be registered at bcpetregistry.ca.
Pet guardians register their contact information with their pet’s microchip, tattoo or licence number. This registration will enable any participating veterinarian, animal control agency or rescue group to identify the lost animal in their care and notify the guardians.
