The Animal Welfare Association is hosting a pet identification event Feb. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon, to promote responsible pet ownership. Fifty percent of all pets entering shelters are lost or strays. Accurate pet identification can mean the difference between getting your lost pet back within hours or taking the chance he could be euthanized because a shelter lacks space. For $20 you get a microchip and metal ID tag.
The AWA staff is excited about this promotion because it is a fun way to call attention to the issue of lost pets in our community. Only 2 percent of lost cats are reunited with their owners and dogs don’t fare much better with only 17 percent being reunited. The good news is that those numbers jump to 90 percent if the pet has an ID tag and/or microchip.
“My heart jumped when my dog, Maddie, bolted out the door one morning. I had to skip work to search for her. I was lucky because she had an ID tag. A few hours later someone called me. She was over two-miles away!” Maya Richmond, Executive Director of the Animal Welfare Association, said.
“You don’t have to feel badly about getting a microchip,” clinic manager and host of the promotion, Judi Russo, said. “They are tiny, the size of a grain of rice, and inserted under the skin. It feels like you are getting a shot. The tiny computer chip contains a unique identification number that can be traced back to the owner and the owner contacted in a few minutes.”
The $20 fee for the microchip, registration of the chip with a national database, and pet identification tag are valued at over $65.
The AWA is a private shelter in Voorhees that has provided animal care, sheltering, adoption and affordable veterinary care to the southern New Jersey communities since 1949. Last year nearly 2,000 dogs, cats and rabbits found their next home through the work of AWA and the Clinic sterilized 9,000 dogs and cats for the public and provided low-cost vaccines to over 3000 pets. AWA is a charitable organization, and all funding comes from donations.
