Subject: [NEXTEL-1] American Humane Warns Pet Owners to Contact Their Local Shelter Before Choosing Pet Microchips]

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 17:03:33 -0500

http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nr_news_releases_microchipsAmerican
Humane Warns Pet Owners to Contact Their Local Shelter Before Choosing
Pet Microchips

Denver (March 26, 2004)

American Humane today warned pet owners that animal shelters may not
have scanners that can detect all the different brands of microchips
currently being placed in pets. American Humane urges pet owners to be
sure their companion animals are wearing current identification tags,
and to ask their local shelter which microchips are compatible with
their scanner.

“Microchips coupled with the traditional tag and collar can provide a
good deal of certainty that a lost animal will be identified and
returned home, but consumers need to do their homework,” says Jodi Lytle
Buckman, American Humane’s director of animal programs.

The warning comes as a new brand of chips is currently entering the
market and only a fraction of shelters nationwide have received the
scanners that can detect these new chips. A recent study conducted by
American Humane found that no single scanner currently on the market
will read all the chips offered to pet owners.

“The microchip manufacturers supplying the United States have put their
market share over the best interest of animals by failing to provide
universal scanners that can read all the chips and failing to widely
distribute scanners to shelters and veterinarians. Instead, they have
placed the burden on pet owners, animal shelters, and veterinarians to
keep up with the changes in technology,” says Buckman.

Buckman adds that any new manufacturer entering the market has a social
responsibility to ensure all animal welfare organizations have scanners
that can read their chips. “Animal shelters and veterinarians are
already struggling to do their best to ensure that every pet goes home
to its family,” adds Buckman.

American Humane offers this advice for people considering microchips:

   * Contact your local animal control agencies, humane societies, and
     animal shelters to find out which brand of microchip is in place in
     their community;
   * Do not rely on what a company might say about its products or those
     of its competitors. Trust an independent source. Click here to read
     American Humane’s complete microchip study.
   * Always provide your pet with a collar, id tag, and license as well
     as a microchip as the most reliable way to ensure your pet returns
     to you.
   * Be sure to keep your information current and change that
     information if you move or get a new phone number.

Every year, thousands of companion animals are lost and taken to
shelters, but only a small percentage are actually returned to their
owners. Experts on animal sheltering at American Humane stress that the
presence of some form of identification is the chief factor in reuniting
a lost pet with its family. As simple as the idea may sound, many people
fail to provide their pets with current identification. On April 3,
2004, thousands of shelters, veterinary clinics, and other humane
agencies will join American Humane in celebrating Tag Day™. The annual
campaign encourages pet owners to microchip or tattoo and place ID tags
on their pets.

About American Humane
Founded in 1877, American Humane is the only national organization
dedicated to both child and animal protection. Headquartered in Denver,
with regional offices in Washington, DC, and Los Angeles, American
Humane provides national leadership in the development of programs and
policies, empowering child and animal protection professionals with
valuable information and support resources.