NEWBERRY COUNTY — If a pet becomes lost, microchipping increases the chances of the pet being returned home.
The Newberry County Animal Shelter picked up 121 animals in 2014 that were lost, and of those, an average of 20 to 25 were microchipped, said operations manager Leslie Jenkins.
“If an animal is microchipped we can get in touch with their owner that day. If they animal is not chipped, we have no way of knowing unless they do a lost report file,” Jenkins said.
When an animal comes into the Newberry Shelter, the animal is put on a stray hold for at least seven business days if it does not have a chip or rabies tag. Animals not picked up in those seven days are put up for adoption.
“It is sad to say, we have picked up an animal and six months later their owner has come looking for them and that pet has been adopted or worse,” Jenkins said. “We are unable to give out information of the new owners, so there is no way to contact them.”
According to the ASPCA website, approximately 7.6 million animals enter animal shelters nationwide each year. Of that number, 2.7 million are euthanized, 2.7 million are adopted and 649,000 are returned to their owners.
“It is so much easier to get in touch with the owner when they are microchipped. They can get their pet that day,” Jenkins said. “That helps us because we can use the space for an animal that needs to be here.”
According the ASPCA’s website, microchipping involves implanting a chip with your contact information in your pet’s shoulder area. The chip can be read by scanner at most animal shelters. This chip can help reunite pets with their owners, as long as the owner keeps providing the chip company with updated information.
“We would have no idea who that animal belongs to,” Jenkins said. “The microchip is underneath the skin and is there for life.”
The cost to microchip an animal at the Newberry County Animal Shelter is $15. The shelter injects about 400 microchips a year, including adoptions, lost pets and walk ins.
“After we put in the chip, the pet can go right home. You can’t even see or feel it,” Jenkins said.