Chip Off the Old Dog - the AVID Barcode Chip & PETtrac Recovery Network

My dog sleeps a fitful sleep tonight on his bed for one reason -- the AVID Barcode Chip. When my dog was a puppy and we lived in the suburbs, he would run the second someone opened the front door. But he'd never make it far and I had a car then, one of the ultimate enticements to a dog. I'd go after him with the car, see him from afar, open the passenger door and call him -- he couldn't resist a car ride.

We moved to Chicago in 2002 when he was three years old -- legal to drink in dog years. I lived in an area of the city known as Lakeview. His new veterinarian, Blum Animal Hospital, recommended that my dog get a chip implanted in between his shoulder blades so that if he ever got lost anyone who found him could take him to a vet or a big box pet store like Petsmart and read his barcode like he was a box of Pop-Tarts on sale at the supermarket.

I was hesitant about the idea at first. I felt funny placing a foreign body in his body for perpetuity. The vet assured me he'd never feel it and it the chip had saved many dogs from losing their families or even their lives in a kill-shelter. Still, I thought, the dog had quickly become a city dog and was no longer a runner so why do this?

Eight years later I got the answer to that question.

My dog is 11-1/2 years old now. Yesterday for the first time since he was a puppy he wandered out of the back yard and got lost. I freaked out hard.

I went out and scoured my Chicago neighborhood for him on foot -- no luck. I thought perhaps someone had stolen him because the behavior was so uncharacteristic of him so I called the non-emergency number for the city 311. Each time they tried to put me through to the non-emergency police desk, they'd end up disconnecting me. Out of frustration, I called his vet's office and asked them what it is I should be doing.

They asked me right away if he had the microchip implant. I hadn't thought about it in years. Yes he did have it. The vet said that AVID would contact me if he were to show up at a Petco or a Petsmart or at a vet's office, that most of these places have the barcode reader.

It was then that I realized I hadn't updated my address and phone number with AVID since a recent move. I simply had forgotten all about it because the dog was so well-trained not to run. The vet recommended I call them right away so I did. At this point I have had no idea here my dog is for five unbearable hours. I aged seven years for each hour he was missing.

I called AVID and told them that my dog was missing and I needed to give them new contact information for me. As the very helpful and supportive customer service representative was entering my new contact information into the system, she began perusing my computer file. She said that the computer was telling her my dog had already been picked up and microchipped and that they didn't call me because my contact information was obsolete. Eight years after having the microchip implanted in his body, it located him. He was initially picked up about a block from my apartment from Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society. By this point it was after 5 PM so I couldn't get any city government workers on the phone to verify they had him.

I didn't sleep that night. Even knowing his chip had identified him I wouldn't be sure the dog was coming back safe and sound until he in fact did come home safe and sound.

This morning, the anti-cruelty people told me that, as is policy, they transferred him to the Chicago Animal Rescue, a city organization. Unfortunately I live on Chicago's north east side of the city, near Lake Michigan and the animal rescue location was on the south west end of the city. I rented a car to go pick him up.

Had he not had the microchip, there's no guarantee I'd have found him. What amazes me about AVID's product is it's relatively inexpensive, the chip remained in place for eight years without the dog's antibodies destroying it or having it slip from its perch in his shoulder blades, and it actually worked. At 11-1/2 years old, that expense finally paid for itself and then some. It made reuniting with my boy a reality.

AVID stands for American Veterinary Identification Devices. The chip was invented and patented in 1991 by a veterinarian. The microchip is a computer chip that has an ID number programmed into it that is unique to the animal. The chip is encapsulated in biocompatible material and is so small it fits in a hypodermic needle. A vet simply injects it under the animal's skin. It is held in place and functional by a thin layer of protein that surrounds it and keeps it in place. In fact the chip is said to last longer than the life expectancies of most domesticated animals.

AVID estimates that vets charge anywhere from $25 to $40 to inject the chip into an animal's body. It's been used not just with dogs but with cats, birds, horses, and exotic animals. When the chip identifies an animal, if the animal is a part of PETtrac, AVID's recovery network, the shelter holding the animal is provided with the owner's name and contact information. If the dog's not registered as part of PETtrac but has the chip, the shelter is supposed to contact the veterinarian who implanted the microchip in the first place to get information from him or her on finding the dog's owner. In addition to the implant fee, there's a one time fee of about $20 (or $50 for up to three pets) that goes to PETtrac. The only other charge is $6.00 administrative fee whenever you change your address and contact information with the company, something I can honestly say is well worth it. If you move after the dog's been chipped be sure to make contacting AVID a priority with your new contact information. Keep the AVID Certificate with the chip's identifying number with the rest of your paperwork regarding your pet. The AVID chip was invented by veterinary Dr. Hannis L. Stoddard, III.

AVID even has a program where a vet who implants microchips can designate a local shelter to receive a free chip reader. Looking behind me as my pup sleeps soundly, I have to say I can't imagine any dog or other pet not being chipped. If it works this well for pets, maybe we ought to do it to kids too. Just kidding ACLU. You can discuss whether your pet is able to be microchipped with your veterinarian and there's no such thing as too young for a pet to have it done. Or apparently, in my elderly pup's case, too old either. Invest in your continuing relationship with your pet continuing and uninterrupted by considering the AVID chip.

AVID's United States headquarters is in Norco, California. The company's phone number is (800) 336-AVID and their email address is avid@AvidID.com.