On November 8 from 4 to 7 p.m., the Richmond SPCA will host our sixth affordable Microchip Clinic at our Robins-Starr Humane Center. The event is open to pets of the public, and each microchip costs only $20, which includes lifetime registration of the chip. Over the past 12 months, we have chipped more than 1,300 pets belonging to guardians throughout Greater Richmond through these special, low-cost clinics.
Taking the step to microchip your beloved companion is an important one because it provides your dog or cat with a safe, simple and permanent form of identification in the unfortunate event he or she ever gets lost or becomes separated from you. Each year tens of thousands of stray animals end up in government shelters across the country, and those implanted with microchips are exceedingly more likely to be reunited with their loving families.
Microchipping provides you with the only truly permanent method of identifying your pets and linking them back to you through a national database containing your most up-to-date contact information. Physical ID tags worn on pets' collars are also important, and can aid a Good Samaritan in reuniting you with your lost pet; however, these tags can break or become illegible, so microchips remain crucial.
It is just as important to microchip our cats as it is our dogs. National statistics show that cats who end up in shelters are considerably less likely to be returned to their guardians when they become lost because they often lack any form of identification that can aid in their safe return home.
Protect your pet now and forever by registering for our affordable Microchip Clinic on November 8. You can pre-register for an appointment and pay online. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please call 804-521-1302 or email khall@richmondspca.org. Thank you for all you do to love and care for your companions.
Tamsen Kingry is the chief operating officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography, or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.
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