Welcome home Marty!

Sayville’s most famous Yorkshire terrier (thanks in part to the Sayville.com community) has been reunited with his ecstatic owners. He was identified via his microchip, and, with a little help from a “guardian angel” is safe and sound where he belongs.

Marty’s story has a happy ending, thanks to luck, kindness, technology and his owner’s absolute refusal to give up hope. The microchip provided positive identification which directly led to his return.

In a perfect world, leashes, doors, and fences should be enough to keep your pet safe at home. In the end, our pets rely on us to protect them in case things go wrong. By being proactive, you can take greatly increase the changes that a lost dog or cat finds its way back home.

Millions of pets are lost each year in the United States alone, and, according to the American Humane Association, only about 17% of lost dogs and 2% of lost cats are found. Many of the animals unlucky enough to end up in shelters are euthanized each year because their owners cannot be located. If your dog or cat is microchipped, there is a much greater chance that if lost, you will get them back.

A microchip is a small computer chip that has an identification number programmed into it. About the size of a grain of rice, it is implanted under your pet’s skin, (usually between the shoulder blades) where it remains for life. Microchips have been used for many years, and there are no known safety concerns.

Microchips are read using a specially designed scanner which will display the information associated with the chip. Animal shelters and vets across the country now have scanners, and can use them to get your name and phone number
Most veterinarians and some animal shelters will implant microchips for a small fee. It’s a simple, relatively painless procedure (like getting a shot) and doesn’t require anesthesia. Once your animal is microchipped, the chip must be registered with the manufacturer so the information gets into the database.

Of course, you have to ensure that the chip is actually registered at the time of implant, otherwise it’s pointless. Anytime your address or phone number changes (or the animal gets a new owner) the corresponding information must be updated in the registry.
Microchips aren’t foolproof- the animal has to be scanned by someone with the right equipment. The chip can move around a bit under the skin, and it’s possible that a scanner could miss it, since the exact location isn’t visible (think barcode buried under the skin). Also, because different brands of microchips may belong to different registries, the information may not always show up with a particular scanner. For this reason, it is essential that your dog or cat also have current ID tags. Don’t forget the (up to date) rabies tag as well!

We’re all glad to see that Marty’s story ended happily. By making sure your dog or cat is microchipped and tagged, you can greatly increase the chances that, if lost, they too find their way back home.