The microchipping is being done at the Harris County Animal Shelter. It is working in conjunction with the Lone Star Animal Welfare League to offer the service for free throughout the month of August. People from towns such as Humble and Kingwood are allowed to bring in two pets per household.
Microchips are RFID (radio frequency identification implants) that allow vets to identify a pet and find its owners. Many of the dogs that arrive here are strays and fewer than 10% of them are brought in with some sort of identification. When the dogs are brought in, they are scanned for microchips and then their pictures are uploaded onto pet-finding sites. Flyer printing is another popular technique often used to help people find their lost pets.
Microchipping makes it easier for shelters to reunite lost pets with their owners which allows the shelters to free up more space at a faster rate. Michael White, the director at HCAS, stated:
“….enables us to quickly reunite animals with their owners instead of their pets waiting at the shelter for their owners to reclaim- which frees up space for the pets that truly need to be there.”
Every time a new pet enters the shelter, it is scanned for a microchip. Each microchip has a unique number that is linked to its owner’s contact information on a database. The process of implanting the chip is as simple as giving the animal a routine vaccination shot.