CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Pet owners may assume their animals are protected by microchips, but that protection may not exist if the chip is registered with a company that is no longer operating.
One of the nation’s largest pet microchip companies, Save This Life, went out of business in January 2024. When the company shut down, its registry of pet owner information also became inaccessible, leaving some microchipped pets effectively unregistered.
One of the country's largest microchip companies went down the tubes a year ago, and the company took its registry of owners with it. Local shelters continue to find lost pets with unregistered chips, which are now useless to help reunite the animals with their owners. (WKRC)
Cincinnati Animal CARE recently encountered the issue after Springfield Township police brought in a 6-year-old shepherd. The dog, later named Phil Collins, had a microchip, but a scan showed it was registered with Save This Life.
“We did a microchip lookup and found out and confirmed that it was Save This Life.”
Miriam Laibson, microchip registry director at 24PetWatch, said the shutdown happened with little notice.
“This happened with very little notice to pet owners, veterinarians, and shelter partners,” Laibson said.
She said the result is that microchips registered through Save This Life are no longer linked to owner information.
“Unfortunately, because there was not great communication that went out from Save This Life, there are many pet parents who I’m sure do not realize still that their pets are not protected,” Laibson said.
Cincinnati Animal CARE said it has found 65 dogs with chips registered through Save This Life. About half were reunited with their owners, but others remained at the shelter until adopted. Six remain unclaimed.
One of the country's largest microchip companies went down the tubes a year ago, and the company took its registry of owners with it. Local shelters continue to find lost pets with unregistered chips, which are now useless to help reunite the animals with their owners. (WKRC)
There are about 40 companies nationwide that register pet microchips. The American Animal Hospital Association offers a free online lookup tool at AAHA.org that allows owners to enter a microchip number and determine which company holds the registration.
Pet owners whose animals were registered with Save This Life do not need to have their pets re-chipped. Many major microchip companies will transfer or re-register the chip, often at no cost.
Animal welfare advocates say the most important step is verifying that a pet’s microchip is registered and that contact information is current to ensure lost animals can be reunited with their families.
- Home Again 888-466-3242
- 24PetWatch 866-597-2424
- AVID 800-336-2843
- AKC Reunite 800-252-7894
- Bayer ResQ 877-738-5465
- Banfield 877-567-8738
- Microfindr 877-738-5465