McKamey Animal Center will be hosting its second annual microchipping clinic for all pets on June 28, from 2-7 p.m. at the center at 4500 North Access Road. The first 300 microchips are free thanks to sponsors Stockdales of Hixson, PetLink, and Veterinary Care & Specialty Group.
In preparation for the biggest lost-pet-week of the year (the
July 4th holiday), McKamey is getting ahead of the problem by proactively getting animals identified with microchips. The cost of chips is $10 after the first 300 free ones are gone.
“McKamey is determined to get pets back to their families this July 4th holiday,” said Lee Towery, McKamey Board president. Last year this event drew over 400 pets.
In addition to the microchipping, pet owners can enjoy free ice cream and soft drinks sponsored by Coke and Clumpies. The annual microchipping event was inspired by lost-animal advocate Luther Masingill who was 92 years old when he passed away. Luther signed on the airwaves every morning for more than seven decades at the WDEF Radio studios in Chattanooga. Luther was famous for his lost dog and cat announcements which were his national claim to fame. Luther’s longtime practice of informing listeners about dogs lost and found made him a favorite celebrity among animal lovers. He was profiled on CBS News and the Associate Press about his "dog gone" reports. In his more than 70 years of on – air service to his community, Luther never failed to help those in need, be it through finding a lost pet or raising money to help rebuild after a fire.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), “A study of more than 7,700 stray animals at animal shelters showed that dogs with microchips were returned to their owners 52.2 percent of the time. Cats without microchips were reunited with their owners only 1.8 percent of the time, whereas micro-chipped cats went back home 38.5 percent of the time.”
A microchip for your pet can mean the difference between lost and found. Although tags and collars are important, they can tear or slip off. With microchipping, a veterinarian injects a tiny computer chip—about the size of a grain of rice—just under your pet’s skin, between the shoulder blades. The microchip number is entered into an international database, which can be read by a microchip scanner if your pet is lost and picked up by a veterinary hospital or humane society. If your contact information is up-to-date, the hospital or humane society that found your pet can contact you and reunite you with your pet. A microchip is your pet's ticket home.
“6500 animals are brought into McKamey Animal Center every year,” said Jamie McAloon, Executive Director of McKamey Animal Center. “If an animal is microchipped, it allows us to quickly find out if they have an owner who may be looking for them.”