On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., SAVE, A Friend to Homeless Animals, will hold MicroChip Day. SAVE now offers the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service, a permanent, unalterable method of pet identification responsible for the successful reunion of more than 200,000 lost pets with their owners.
To help control the pet population, cut down on disease and reduce the number of lost pets that are euthanized because they cannot be properly identified, SAVE recommends that pet owners follow a three-step program of responsible pet care spay/neuter, vaccinate and microchip.
A sterilized microchip is implanted pain-free under the skin between the shoulders of the pet in a few minutes. HomeAgain maintains a national database and is available 24/7. When a lost pet is found, it can be scanned at an animal shelter or veterinarian’s office. The animal’s identification number is called into HomeAgain, and the pet owner is notified immediately.
Currently more than 2.2 million pets are enrolled in the HomeAgain service. Home-Again recovers on average 7,000 lost pets a month in the United States.
Some facts to keep in mind:
30 to 60 percent of lost pets in shelters are euthanized because they cannot be properly identified and returned to their owners. Only about 14 percent of dogs and 4 percent of cats who end up in shelters are returned to their owners.
Collar tags are a great way to identify lost pets, but they can easily come off or be removed.
Microchipping is permanent, completely unalterable and does not change or harm the appearance of the animal in any way. The procedure is safe, inexpensive, fast and virtually painless for the animal.
Those who cannot come on Saturday should call SAVE to make an appointment to have their pet microchipped.
For more information, call Donielle at SAVE, (609) 921-6122.
SAVE is located at 900 Herrontown Road, Princeton Township.
On the Web: www.savehomelessanimals.org.
