
When our CEO and Founder, Michael Hamilton, was a little kid, his dog was stolen right out of his family’s backyard, and they never got him back. Since that time, numerous technologies have been developed, marketed, and sold to pet owners and out of all these technologies, microchips are the one solution that could reduce the epidemic to a manageable problem as they are implanted and the only permanent form of identification for pets, whereas anything else attached to a collar can fall off or be taken off. Microchips will also work 100% of the time if scanned and registered.
Therefore, when Michael got his dog Peeva (and company namesake), he registered her microchip right away but was saddened to learn one day when taking Peeva to another vet for emergency care that the staff at that hospital did not scan her for a microchip. When Michael asked why, he was told he didn’t look like someone who would steal a dog.
The Extent of the Problem
Not willing to settle for that answer, Michael first wanted to learn if this was just an isolated incident. With the aid of the Survey Monkey service, a brief survey was sent to nearly 2,000 veterinary professionals across the country, and he learned that this is a significant problem on a national scale. You can see the results of that survey here.
The Reason Behind the Problem
There is no standardization among multiple microchip companies competing for market share. Numerous microchips, frequencies, and multiple registration databases and cataloging systems exist, making the likelihood of a microchip being scanned and read quite low. Further, if a microchip could be read, multiple registries needed to be searched until a match was found. Then, that registry needed to be called. The majority of registries do not provide adequate customer support to facilitate a found animal’s prompt return. Calls are often placed on hold for long periods, leading to a general lack of scanning for microchips altogether. Veterinary hospitals do not have the time, staff, or resources to accommodate this arduous process, and they don’t have to. After all, they are in the business of treating animals, not policing puppy theft. It is, therefore, easier to assume the person who brought in the stolen animal for care was the rightful owner. At least the pet did not wind up in a kill shelter.
Our Goal
Our goal is to make microchip scanning part of the standard daily procedure for all pet care professionals.
Michael then contacted the Dean of the Graduate Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Buffalo to develop a universal, multi-channel RFID pet scanner that could read any brand of microchip, regardless of its frequency or level of encryption. After a thorough root cause analysis conducted by the Academic Chair and two Ph.D. students, it was concluded that no true universal pet scanner existed. Michael then commissioned the department to develop a multi-channel scanner that could read any brand of microchip. However, that was only one piece of the puzzle.
The Next Challenge: Implementation
The next challenge was how to get vets and shelters to use this new scanning device without being just another microchip provider claiming to have a universal scanner. To get pet care professionals to use our device, there needed to be a benefit.
The Data Problem
In addition to there being multiple registries, the pet care industry is fragmented. There are multiple Electronic Medical Health Records and shelter management software options. Pet care professionals lack access to raw data and the ability to pull it all together. Nothing is more frustrating for a veterinary professional than examining an animal with no ID and not having access to those records.
Our Solution
Our solution pairs microchip identification numbers with pet medical records in a menu-driven system that is easy to use. The ability to access a pet’s complete life history by simply scanning a microchip saves veterinary professionals time by making the transfer of vital health information quick and easy. Pet owners are instantly notified at the exact second with precise location information.
Michael then teamed up with the University of Buffalo’s Graduate Department of Computer Science to develop the first iteration of the software.
Reaching Critical Mass
This idea and proof of concept seemed like a great idea that was broadly accepted, but it was meaningless without a critical mass of data. Michael then pitched the idea to Peeva’s primary veterinarian, who had built two high-volume hospitals from the ground up before selling them off to a large corporation of freestanding hospitals. To get beta approval, it had to be approved by the C-level, which loved the proof of concept and agreed to allow Peeva to aggregate medical records from a critical mass of pets and their owners.
Central Pet Microchip Registry
With every hospital Peeva now onboards, Peeva pairs thousands of patient records with their own microchip identification numbers or those of other brands. Vet techs are instructed to scan every pet that comes into their hospital for a microchip. Pets that do not have a microchip are educated on the value of microchipping, specifically with Peeva.
The Impact of COVID-19
Peeva was in a very comfortable position until the pandemic hit. Our model, where veterinary partners were doing sales for us, came to a grinding halt as pet owners were no longer meeting with their veterinarians face-to-face. Instead, they were met outside by vet techs who would bring their animals inside for care.
Pivot and Lessons Learned
Michael distributed 200,000 microchips for free to a national animal welfare organization, expecting them to instruct pet owners to register their pets with Peeva. Instead, they directed them to register with the now-nonexistent Michelson Found Animals Registry for free. This turned out to be a total scam that led pet owners into a false sense of security over their pets, as this registry did not provide the necessary customer service or telephone support required to facilitate a found animal’s return. Instead, they were aggregating customer data, which was later sold off.
Peeva Fetch Goes Online
Michael did the obvious and began offering Peeva enrollments online to offset the distribution loss of our Peeva microchips by providing a central registry where pet owners could register their pets for a nominal fee. By this time, Peeva had aggregated a critical mass of registrations from other brands. Pet owners now throughout the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico register their pets with Peeva to take advantage of the unique benefits we offer, such as instant notifications when scanned by any pet care professional in our extensive North American network, backed by 24/7 customer support.
Today: Making a Difference
We now find pets every single day!