Microchipping is a simple, safe, and permanent form of identification that dramatically increases the chances of reuniting lost animals with their owners and reduces shelter euthanasia rates.
Microchipping is one of the highest-value, lowest-cost welfare interventions for companion animals. A lost un-chipped animal entering a shelter faces potential euthanasia if an owner cannot be identified within a short holding period. A microchipped animal whose registration details are current can be reunited with its owner within hours. The brief discomfort of chip insertion is negligible compared to the welfare benefit of a permanent reunion mechanism. The failure point in most microchipping programs is not the chip but the registration database — owners who move or change phone numbers without updating records effectively make their pet un-identifiable despite being chipped.