News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Microchipping animals means lost pets are at least 50 percent more likely to be found, according to national statistics.
Putnam County’s Animal Shelter Director said she supports microchipping, but said the best form of pet ID is the kind you can see.
Director Jennifer Tracy said a collar with pet ID is the primary method to easily reunite your dog. Tracy said the chip is a better ID for cats because their collars are designed to break-away.
“If your dog or cat has a tag on, then the neighbor can see that and call and reunite you rather than going through a shelter to figure out who the owner is,” Tracy said.
Tracy said as long as owners keep their information updated with the microchip registry, there are no issues with universal readers identifying pet owners.
Tracy said it is the unknown and unexpected situation that calls for a microchip ID. She says the chip is a wise investment in
those cases.
“We started microchipping everything we adopted out not long after I got here,” Tracy said. “It was one of the first things that I implemented.”
Tracy said owners need to be prepared for high stress situations when animals may want to make a run for it. She said taking extra precautions during seasonal fireworks or repairmen visting your home can prevent a lost pet situation. She said hopefully we can avoid pet separation in the first place but collars with IDs and microchips should be in place just in case.
