ChecktheChip.com

ChecktheChip.com
Click - Microchip Database Search Engine at ChecktheChip.com

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Helping a lost dog home (not so easy)

This morning, I found a lost dog.

She is a friendly, chocolate brown tuxedo Pitbull/Corgi mix wearing a collar but no tags. She happily followed me back home, leaping and wagging her tail, desperately wanting to play with Chloe who was with me on our morning walk.

At home, I grabbed my universal microchip scanner to find her microchip but I couldn't scan because the batteries were too low (a serious problem of hand-held microchip scanners, according to a study of shelter microchip scanners.) After a dizzying search for a fresh set of four AAA’s, I popped them in and did the scan.

She has a microchip.

I entered the number into ChecktheChip.com (our microchip database search service) and  found that it is a ResQ brand microchip and called ResQ immediately.  The ResQ call center representative said, “This black Yorkie is registered to…”

"A Yorkie?" I asked, "This dog is definitely not a Yorkie."

She responded, “Sorry, that is the only info we have for this [microchip] number."

I was perplexed and asked if they could tell me if the microchip was sold to a shelter, so I can call them directly.

The ResQ representative continued, “No. We don't have the shelter information here. You’ll have to call Bayer directly since they sold the microchip.”

I called Bayer who said that the chip was sold to a local shelter. I hung up and dialed yet another number.

I called the shelter and my call dropped straight to the general voicemail box with a greeting that said “Due to the high call volume, we cannot answer your call.” (Shelters have the unfortunate and perpetual problem of too many animals, not enough funding.)

I called until I was able to reach a live person. She checked her computer and said, “Is it a brown, female, mixed breed… Corgie and Pitbull’ish type of dog?”

Relieved and elated I yelped, “Yes!”

Her voice became worried, “I have an owner listed here but since she was adopted in 2007 the owner might have changed," and she gave me two local phone numbers. I looked down at the sad, brown dog that was now curled into Chloe’s bed.  

I dialed the first number, a man’s voice said, “Hello?”

“Hello. Did you lose a nice brown, short, squat, Corgi mix type?” I smiled, looking at her big eyes.

He said that he did lose a dog, back in mid-October some two months earlier and since it had been so long, he just assumed that he would never see the dog again. I gave him my address and he showed up within a few minutes. He lived just a few blocks away.

The dog stood by the door as I opened it and she immediately ran to him. He picked her up, tail wagging wildly. I smiled and said, “What’s her name?”

“Her name is Molly.” He said.


Picture

With the current absence of a dynamic, proven, systematic lost pet process, is pet reunification just a matter of just luck and persistence? I thought about Chloe and Kitty (my cat). Would they do as well as Molly?

Still, where has Molly been since mid-October?
  • Perhaps someone was trying to find her owner also but didn’t realize she had a microchip. Besides, looking at a pet, you wouldn't know they had a microchip.
  • Maybe they checked the microchip and also found that it was registered to a completely different dog then gave up.
What about Molly's incorrect microchip information?
This is a stark reminder that everyone should check (and double check) their pet's microchip. Scan the chip, find the database, call them and confirm that they have your correct information.

As we start the New Year, I am filled with optimism and energy to make a change for pet owners and pets, like Molly.

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