Helping lost pets find their way home
Published: April 12, 2007
Losing a pet can be a traumatic experience for families. Proper pet identification helps them quickly find their lost four-legged family members.
According to their 2007 annual report, the Kitsap Humane Society received 6,601 stray and owner-released dogs and cats in 2006. Some pets returned to their families thanks to licensing and microchips.
“It is so unfortunate that we get animals here and cannot find their owners,” said Don McBurney, executive director of the Kitsap Humane Society.
Kitsap County requires animals to be licensed within 30 days of acquiring the pet. Kitsap County and city of Bremerton licenses can be purchased for a small fee through the Kitsap Humane Society. Other jurisdictions must contact their local city hall.
“Losing a pet is like losing a child,” McBurney said. “Don’t let that happen, have your pet licensed.”
Aside from licensing, owners can have a microchip implanted in their pets. The Kitsap Humane Society uses the AVID FriendChip. It is a tiny microchip that contains a personal identification number. A shelter employee or veterinarian scans the chip with a handheld device, calls AVID’s 24-hour hotline, searches the database and returns the lost pet to its rightful owner.
The microchip is implanted under the skin on the back of the neck with a needle. Although it is a simple injection and takes seconds, the animal may be put under anesthesia for the short period of time.
“It is good to do it while they are under (anesthesia) to reduce the pain,” said Josh Hall, Humane Society veterinary technician. “It is a good-sized needle.”
The pet’s owner receives paperwork containing the microchip’s number and other information. The pet also receives a blue AVID tag for its collar, alerting people that it has a microchip.
The Kitsap Humane Society and local veterinarians have handheld scanners to detect the implanted microchips. Each microchip company has its own scanners. Some scanners can only detect and “read” their microchip brand. A “universal” scanner has not been provided to all animal shelters in the United States.
The scanners at the Kitsap Humane Society detect AVID and Home Again microchips. According to the Humane Society, these are the two most prevalent microchips in the area. They are looking to obtain a “universal” scanner for their facility.
A microchip will remain in the pet for its entire life span. Although implanted on the back of the neck, it may travel to other parts of the body.
“The chip can migrate through the body, but it doesn’t happen often,” Hall explained. “We always scan the entire body of the animal to search for a microchip.”
Pet owners also are encouraged to purchase an identification tag for their animal. The tag should be worn on the animal’s collar and display the owner’s contact information. Although a collar and tags are visual identification, they may be removed or fall off the pet.
“If the collar isn’t there or comes off, the microchip is permanently there,” said Dana Lerma, development manager of the Kitsap Humane Society.
Lerma says families across the country found lost pets due to microchipping. A family from as far away as Montana found their stray pet at the Kitsap Humane Society, according to Lerma. Pets also can be missing for years and still be found. One woman lost her cat three years ago, but recently found the animal because of the microchip.
“Animals have been returned to families over a year after they went missing,” Lerma said.
The microchip and database store the owners’ contact information and must be kept up-to-date. Current information increases the chance that the lost pet will be returned to the proper owner.
Pets adopted from the Kitsap Humane Society can be microchipped for $30, this includes the registration fee.
The Humane Society hosts four microchip clinics a year. The public can bring their pets, regardless of where they were purchased or adopted, and have them microchipped for $30. Pets also can receive rabies vaccines for $5. The upcoming microchip and rabies vaccination clinic will be on June 2 at PetsWALK at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At the shelter, stray animals are kept in public view for at least five days. This way, owners of lost pets have the chance to look for their beloved family members.
The Humane Society keeps lost and found information at their front desk. Owners are responsible for updating their lost animal’s information. If it is not updated, the information will be thrown out after 45 days.
“Keep a current photo of your pet,” Lerma said. “Their appearance changes frequently.”
The Humane Society also operates a lost pet hotline. It is updated daily and lists information on lost pets. Community members are encouraged to check the Humane Society kennels, pet hotline and lost and found books regularly to locate lost animals.
100 percent of pets with proper identification are returned to their owners, according to Lerma.
“We’d like them all (pets) to immediately go home to their owners and not come to the shelter,” she said.
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