LAC LA BICHE - On Oct. 19, pet owners will have the opportunity to get their furry friends micro-chipped at a special event being held at the Lac La Biche Regional Humane Society (LLBRHS). The chipping even runs from noon to 5 p.m.
Humane Society manager Angel Bigelow said those who are interested in having their pets micro-chipped can contact the society’s Facebook page or call the shelter directly at 780-520-7297. The cost for the painless procedure is $25 per pet.
“We try to give everyone a 15-minute slot for an appointment, though it is far less time,” she explained. “The chip lasts a lifetime and is unique to each individual animal.”
Tracking chip
Bigelow says there are many benefits to getting household pets micro-chipped, one of the most important is to better identify animals that may get brought into the shelter.
“Animals generally have a far shorter stay at a shelter as we are able to find their owners much easier than posting photos online on various social media pages,” Bigelow explained. “This is great because an animal's mental health declines the longer, they stay at the shelter.”
The chips can also save an animal’s life.
“Not all rescues or shelters have a no-kill policy for healthy animals, so the worst consequence would be that the family pet (without a microchip) does not make it through the shelter to be adopted (or returned),” she said.
Chips and dipping into privacy
Bigelow realizes that some people may be reluctant to microchip their animals due to not understanding how these devices work or they may have fears about ‘big brother government’ — but stresses that the chips don’t contain GPS abilities or private information. In fact, they don’t contain much … other than a way to link an animal to a client.
“In reality, the chip holds no information at all, just a number that is unique to the individual and is registered in the national registration bank,” she said. “The information provided to the registration bank is solely for the purposes of contacting the pet owner and getting their furry friend back home.”
According to recent studies of more than 7,000 strays in 53 animal shelters, micro-chipped dogs were more than twice as likely — and micro-chipped cats were over 20 times more likely — to be reunited with their families, compared with reunion rates for 'unchipped' animals.
The Lac La Biche Regional Humane Society hosted a previous micro-chipping event in late spring, that drew a little more than a dozen pet owners. Bigelow said was a success.
“We micro-chipped roughly 15 pets. This may not seem like a lot, but that is 15 more pets that have a higher chance of making it back home,” she said.
