How can I find out if my pet has a microchip and where it’s registered?
You can take your pet to any veterinary clinic and ask that they scan your pet for a microchip to learn if there is one and if it can be read. The microchip in your pet may not be a ISO microchip which means it can not be universally read. If you are certain that your pet has a microchip that was not read with the correct scanner, you may want to strongly consider having a second ISO chip implanted in your pet. Both microchips, however, will need to be registered. A microchip scanner will read the first microchip it detects. Two microchips can no be read simultaneously. Only a very small percentage of pets have two microchips so if an unregistered chip is the first one that is detected, it will be assumed that the your pet only has one microchip that was never registered.
Why do I need to register my pet’s microchip?
A microchip will only work if it’s registered to the pet owner directly in a database offered by a legitimate pet recovery service that is actively searched. That registry will also need to provide a more than adequate telephone support team that can be available to answer calls that come inbound at all times of the day 24/7/365 to facilitate the prompt return of your animal safely and as quickly as possible. This could literally mean the difference between life and death depending on the shelter where your pet turns up.
What is a legitimate pet recovery service provider?
A legitimate pet recovery service distributes microchips to numerous veterinary clinics, shelters, and rescue organizations nationally and provides a database where you can pay a nominal fee to cover the scope of services they provide; such as the required telephone support necessary to get your pet home promptly. If a registry does not distribute microchips and employ a team of the necessary telephone support, then you should never consider registering your pet with them or any other free service as they are scams and exist for no other purpose than to build up marketing lists that can be sold off to data brokers that in turn spam you with unneeded products and services. Now that most consumer purchases are made online, data brokers, marketing firms, and retailers are willing to pay a lot of money for this data. Most importantly, free registries fall short of providing any type of actual pet recovery service.
Is there one central database that registers all chips in case pets wind up lost or stolen?
Every microchip company would like to have a central registry, but Peeva Fetch (our central pet recovery database) has a critical mass of pet registrations of other brands as we auto enroll thousands of chip IDs with every hospital we onboard.
What is the AAHA Pet Microchip Lookup Tool?
When a microchip is read, that number needs to be written down and multiple registry websites need to be searched until a match is found. The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) developed the Pet Microchip Lookup Tool in response to this in an effort to save busy pet care professionals time by searching through multiple registries simultaneously.
Isn’t the AAHA Pet Microchip Lookup Tool a central registry?
The AAHA pet microchip lookup tool does not have a database of its own. It is more like a search engine that searches participating primary registries of the brand of microchip that the pet was implanted with.
The lookup tool does not provide the pet owner’s contact information. It provides the name of the primary registry the microchip is registered with. Then that registry needs to be called.
How does the AAHA Pet Microchip Lookup Tool work?
Pet care professionals can enter a microchip ID into the AAHA lookup tool to search through multiple registries simultaneously. If the microchip ID is registered, the lookup tool will display the logo and telephone number to the Participating Pet Recovery Service Provider where they microchip is registered. Although there are numerous benefits to this, the lookup tool wants to increase the odds of return by offering participation to as many registries as possible and this actually compounds the problem it set out to fix.
The far majority of those that participate leverage their participation as a legitimacy play, but fall short of providing even the most basic level of telephone support required for the microchip to work. Most do not operate 24/7 or even have a support team period. Callers experience long hold times and are thrown through a loop of doubtless loop of messaging without getting through to a live support agent. This has ultimately led to a general lack of scanning for microchips altogether as veterinary professionals, for example, do not have the time, staff or resources to accommodate for the arduous process and they don’t have to. It’s much easier to assume the person that brought in the stolen animal is the owner.
Do I need to pay to register my pet’s microchip?
Our team works day and night at our lost pet recovery headquarters to ensure pets are reunited with their families as quickly as possible.
If your pet is microchipped it is important to select a registration to ensure they are listed as registered in the AAHA Universal Microchip Lookup Tool.
We have been helping lost pets for many years and we know first hand that when a pet is lost every second counts and simply listing your pet in a database is just not enough so we utilize the most advanced technology and provide live phone support 24 hours a day to get them home as quickly as possible.
Your registration fee ensures that we can continue to provide you with the best support and technology to keep your pet safe at home.
There are numerous free central registries that can be found online, but they can actually compound the pet problem as anyone can register a microchip ID with no proof of ownership. These are also simply devices to collect data that can be sold to various organizations for marketing and spam purposes.
