A chip off the ol' block

Michelle Ross was relieved to get the phone call.

Her 12-year-old Japanese Akita named Nikko, considered a member of the family, had gotten loose the previous night.

And being that this was Nikko's third time out in the world on her own, Ross feared reliving the stress and worry she endured in the past while searching for the dog at local shelters.

Two years ago, Ross spent 12 days searching for Nikko. Although she checked the shelters daily, Nikko was somehow overlooked. By the time Ross found her, Nikko was being prepared for adoption the following day.

It was after Nikko's second escape last May that Ross decided to take a more serious effort to ensure the safe return of her dog -- she had Nikko microchipped.

Last week Nikko again wandered away when a backyard gate was left open. This time, however, Ross received a call from the Animal Foundation the next day. She was able to pick up her dog immediately.

Some call it science fiction and skeptics say it leads to the threat of Big Brother, but animal officials at local shelters are saying it's the only 100 percent guarantee of reuniting owners with lost pets.

Mary Herro, owner of the Animal Foundation, says she wishes all pet owners would take advantage of the microchip program. An immediate return or any return at all is rare for lost pets who lack proper identification.

Out of the 60 to 100 animals the shelter receives daily, only 2 percent of the cats and 18 percent of the dogs are returned to their owners. The rest are adopted or euthanized, Herro said.

"Most of the animals in the shelters have owners," she said. "We have some that come in with fresh haircuts and polish on their toes, and the owners never come for them."

Microchipping is just now catching on, according to Herro.

"If all the pets were microchipped with the owner's current address then there would be almost a 100 percent return rate," she said.

The nontoxic, computer microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is injected under the skin near the shoulder using a hypodermic needle. A personal identification number programmed into the chip gives officials who scan the pet an efficient way to track down the owner because the owner's name, address and telephone number have been entered into a data base. The cost for the chip at local veterinarians is $45, while the Animal Foundation charges $15.

American Veterinary Identification Services, known as AVID, based in Norco, Calif., tracks its microchips through distribution. When it receive a call with an identification number, it is able to locate the veterinarian or shelter where the chip was installed.

Owners may also register with a national database for an additional $12.50, which will limit the tracking to one phone call.

AVID manufactures and supplies the microchips globally. The company has supplied 4.5 million chips since they went on the market in 1991.

AVID President Dr. Hannis Stoddard III said registering with the national database is beneficial especially if your animals tend to stray long distances.

Stoddard began designing the pet microchip in 1985 after going through the stress of losing his dog, which later was found at a shelter 60 miles away.

"Stray animals tend to become disoriented and scared," he said. "We've all seen a stray dog trotting five miles an hour down a road or sidewalk with that look in its eye and its tongue hanging out the side of its mouth.

"Owners don't expect to look for their pet at a distant shelter, but animals tend to stray much further than an owner would expect them to."

That may explain why most animals aren't claimed, local officials said.

"It's the kind of thing where you don't need it until you need it," Stoddard said referring to the microchip. "It just takes that one time."

Stoddard said there are financial concerns in addition to the heartache of euthanizing lost pets.

"The reality is that to euthanize 14 million pets a year, at $150 per animal from point of admission to euthanasia, is a massive tax burden for tax payers," he said.

With all the benefits of microchipping, many owners are still reluctant, said Monica Meng, office manager for the Dewey Animal Care Center, 4800 W. Dewey Drive. Meng said Dewey receives between 60 to 100 animals each day, but only 15 percent to 20 percent have microchips.

"We try to encourage people to go with the program. For the most part everybody likes the idea, it's just that they don't want to take the time or spend the money," Meng said, adding that it only takes five to 10 minutes for the procedure.

At the Animal Foundation, each animal adopted out -- between 750 to 800 per month -- is microchipped. The cost is included in the adoption fee along with vaccines and spaying or neutering. Herro said more than 6,000 animals with chips have been adopted since January.

Herro said the chip is excellent identification for cats. The animal's active nature keeps most owners from putting collars on their cat. Many owners who let their cats out to prowl the neighborhood may not be concerned about its absence because of the animal's independent nature. By the time they realize the cat is missing, it may already have been adopted or put to sleep.

The microchip is permanent. Linda Hent, public receiver of animals at the Animal Foundation, said an old golden retriever was brought to the shelter after wandering around a construction site for four days. The dog plopped down immediately and wouldn't move or eat.

A chip was not detected at first. Following procedure, they rescanned the dog before putting her to sleep. This time a chip was found and the owner was contacted. The owner who was in tears by the time he arrived at the shelter said the dog had been missing for nine months.

Roger Van Oort of the city of Las Vegas Animal Control, said scanners are expected to be in each Animal Control vehicle within six months. Drivers will be able to return animals directly to their homes if the pets are properly licensed and picked up within a mile of the residences.

"I just wish every animal was chipped so we could get it home," Herro said.

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