Why You Should Microchip Your Pets
Responsible pet owners make sure that they keep up to date with their pets' vaccinations, spaying and neutering and anything else that is necessary in order to keep their pets happy and healthy. But another step pet owners should consider is microchipping their pets.
A Microchip Gives Pets Permanent Identification
If you have ever lost a pet, you will know the anguish and pain that comes from never knowing what ever happened to Fluffy or to Rover. Unfortunately, a collar with each pet's name, your address and phone number is not sufficient in offering protection to pets that have strayed or have been kidnapped. A collar can easily be removed by unscrupulous individuals or caught and lost while the animal is struggling to get away.
But a microchip offers a permanent form of identification. Microchips are tiny, about the size of a grain of rice, but once they are fitted they offer security and peace of mind that you can rely on for the rest of your pets' lives. That way, if your pets ever stray and end up in an animal shelter far from home, you stand a better chance of a happy reunion than if your pets were not microchipped, as a microchip will help to quickly identify your pets.
A Microchip is Required For the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS)
Pet owners who plan on shipping their pets abroad using PETS will be required to submit to a stringent set of requirements, completed in the correct order before their pets are cleared for international travel. The first step they will need to take is to have their pets microchipped, if they have not already done so. Failure to comply with any of the PETS requirements will mean that the pets are not eligible to travel this way and will need to be quarantined (where this is still practiced) upon arrival.
Microchipping your pets might seem like just another unnecessary expense that you could well do without, but it is worth considering getting each of your pets microchipped. A microchip offers a permanent form of identification so that if your pets ever stray, they stand a better chance of being returned to you safe and sound. Pet owners who plan to move abroad with their pets using PETS will be required to have their pets microchipped before they are approved for travel.
Source:
Defra Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Pet Travel Scheme.
Published by Sophie Spyrou
Sophie has been writing for the Yahoo! Contributor Network since 13th May 2007. She used her previous status as a Featured Contributor (Travel, then Pets) to share her personal knowledge about the UK culture... View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentI found two lost dogs a couple of years ago. Because the owner put microchips in both of them, the animal shelter immediately called the owners! So, I highly recommend putting microchips in pets! I saw first hand how the system works!
Our rescue dog was chipped before they would let us take him. They insisted we do it in the event he became separated from us. cheers: :)