Microchip Your Pet to Bring Them Home

June 8, 2025

By Dan Barner

Microchip Your Pet to Bring Them Home

What would you do if your pet became lost? Fences, collars and leashes can fail. Doors and gates can accidently be left open. Pets can get scared or distracted and take off.

Some pets like to explore. Your pet becoming lost is a scary thought for pet owners, but microchipping your pet can help reunite you with your furry family member.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), it is estimated that 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen every year in the U.S. An AVMA published study found that just 22% of lost dogs entering shelters were returned to their families. However, that number increased to more than 52% when a dog was microchipped.

Microchips make a huge difference in bringing lost pets home.

June is National Microchipping Month, an excellent time to think about how you would bring your dog or cat home if they were to become lost. Microchipping is quick, easy and permanent. The process takes just a few seconds and involves implanting a microchip under the pet’s skin. This microchip contains a unique ID number that is registered in a database, along with the owner’s contact information.

Here at the Animal Protective Foundation every shelter pet is microchipped before they are adopted. If a lost pet is brought to a shelter or veterinarian, they can scan the microchip and retrieve the owner’s information. Microchips can’t fall off the way a collar with ID tags can. They are permanent and do not require any maintenance. It is important, however, to update your information in the microchip database if there are changes to your home address, phone number or email address.

Getting your pet microchipped is easy. You can ask your veterinarian to microchip your pet at their next appointment. There are also microchip clinics put on by local organizations such as the Animal Protective Foundation. We help pet owners in our community get their pets microchipped at our free Community Pet Wellness Clinics and discounted microchip clinics throughout the year. The next Community Pet Wellness Clinic (cats only) is June 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Steinmetz Park in Schenectady. The next microchip clinic is Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at APF in Glenville.

To register your pet for an upcoming clinic at the Animal Protective Foundation, visit animalprotective.org/news-events.