A press release from the McHenry County Department of Public Health:

Increase the odds of finding your lost pet

McHenry County Animal Control is celebrating NATIONAL MICROCHIP YOUR PET MONTH for the rest of JUNE with $10 Microchips

CRYSTAL LAKE IL – In honor of National Microchip Your Pet Month McHenry County Department of Health, Animal Control (MCAC) is offering McHenry County residents $10.00 microchipping appointments Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00-4:00 through the end of June.

Call 815-459-6222 to schedule an appointment.

According towww.petfinder.com, cats and dogs have a 1 out of 3 chance of becoming lost in their lifetime.

1 out of 5 shelter dogs and 1 out of 50 shelter cats are reunited with their owner.

Keely Cat is chipped, but stuffed Prairie Dog Cody is not.

Microchipping increases the odds of returning home to 52% for dogs and 38% for cats.

Microchipping is quick and painless.

The procedure is as simple as getting your pet vaccinated.

Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and inserted between the shoulders.

Chips are viable for your pet’s lifetime. Collars and tags are key in identifying lost pets but can easily fall off or be removed. A microchip doesn’t going anywhere – and these days most shelters and veterinarians have microchip scanners.

Back in 2012 a microchipped Siberian Husky named Shakira was found by a rescue in McHenry County.

The owner was notified in Chatsworth Georgia.

Shakira had gone missing 5 years earlier!  This story had a happy ending.  She’s back with her family in Georgia because of her microchip.

Both the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Humane Society recommend microchipping.

The ASPCA supports microchip identification paired with a collar and personalized ID tag for companion animals as the best way to increase odds of a pet being returned home.

You can find more information about microchipping by clicking on Veterinary Public Health at www.mcdh.info.