MDARD Reminds Michiganders to Register Their Pets' Microchips for National Check the Chip Day

Properly registered microchips are essential to reuniting lost pets with their families

LANSING, Mich. — In recognition of National Check the Chip Day, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) is encouraging all pet owners to work with their veterinarian to get their animals microchipped and ensure all microchipped pets have their chips registered with up-to-date contact information.

"Having a chip is the most permanent way to identify your pet, and it provides an almost universal way for your pet to get back home if they are lost or stolen,"  said State Veterinarian, Dr. Nora Wineland, DVM, MS, DACVPM. "For Check the Chip Day, we encourage you to consider getting your pets microchipped and to check that a chip is registered to you. Both are needed to ensure you and your pet can be reunited."

Pet owners should work with their veterinarian to get their animals microchipped or to have their chip scanned during their next vet appointment to check the registration information. Michigan's registered animal shelters can also be great resources for getting more information on pet identification as well as checking chips.

"Animal control officers want to reunify lost pets with their families as quickly as possible, and registered microchips are the best way for us to do that," said Melissa Fitzgerald, Vice President of the Michigan Association of Animal Control Officers. "Please take this day to get your pet microchipped or to make sure that your pet's microchip is registered with your current address and phone number."

Michigan's animal control officers and shelter staff work diligently within their communities to improve the chances of returning lost pets to their homes. Macomb County Animal Control is using grants distributed by MDARD from the Animal Welfare Fund to provide microchip scanners to local law enforcement officers and to initiate plans to install public microchip scanning stations all in an effort to get animals back home as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Since 2010, MDARD has distributed more than $2 million in Animal Welfare Fund grants to over 330 animal shelters to finance spay/neuter programs, train shelter staff, and respond to specific community needs. Any Michigander can support the Animal Welfare Fund by checking the fund's box on Form 4642, Voluntary Contributions Schedule, on their state tax returns.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), about 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen in the U.S. every year. The AVMA reports microchipped dogs are more than twice as likely to be returned to their owners, and microchipped cats are 20 times more likely to be returned. To ensure more pets are returned to their families, the AVMA and the American Animal Hospital Association established Check the Chip Day in 2013.

Learn more about the importance of pet identification from Jeff Randazzo, Director of Macomb County Animal Control, in MDARD's latest video.

For more information on Check the Chip Day, please visit AVMA's website.

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