Losing your pet could be a traumatic and tragic event. Just like any other member of your family, you want to always keep them safe. But unlike other family members, you can’t simply call your pet on their phone or track their GPS.  

During July, National Lost Pet Prevention Month, we’re encouraging all pet parents to microchip their pets to reunite more lost pets with their families.  

What is Microchipping?

Microchips are encoded with a unique registration number that is connected to your contact information. The tiny microchip, which is no bigger than a grain of rice, is implanted under your pet’s skin.  

If your pet were to get lost, any veterinary office or shelter could scan the microchip and contact the lost pet’s owner.  

What Are the Benefits?

Aside from providing easy identification to pets that get lost, microchips offer a permanent solution that ID tags and collars cannot. Many pets wear ID tags and collars, but these can become worn and unreadable or fall off when your pet is dashing away – this is what happened to a 10-year-old Chihuahua named Papa. 

Reunited After Two Scary Weeks Apart

Papa is terrified of fireworks. Every time he hears the big boom or sees the light in the sky he runs for cover. During a Victoria’s Day celebration, Papa became so scared that he ran out the door and did not stop running.  

His pet parents hung up posters around the neighbourhood, shared his photo on social media, and called local veterinary offices just in case he was dropped off – but they could not find Papa. 

14 days later they received a phone call that Papa was brought to a shelter. “I could not believe it. When I went to pick him up, his ID tag and collar weren’t on him. I totally forgot that he was microchipped because we adopted him 8 years ago from Toronto Humane Society,” shared Hannah, Papa’s pet parent. “Having him microchipped saved his life – and mine. I do not know what I would do without my handsome guy always by my side!”