Microchipping pets only works if owner’s info is accurate

From KNTV-TV

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A purebred boxer was found wandering the streets and is now up for adoption at the San Jose Animal Care Center.

Shelter operations supervisor Staycee Dains knows he has an owner. With one scan she found an ID microchip implanted between his shoulder blades.

However, "they gave us a name and an address that's outdated" she says.

For some pets, it can mean the difference between life and death.

"There have been cases where we had to euthanize dogs that had been micro-chipped but have no information and that's a very sad situation," says Dains.

Another problem? People register their pets initially but then forget to update their info when they move or get a new cell phone.

A study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association found after checking hundreds of micro-chipped animals, 40 percent of them were not registered in any database.

Animal-control officers say microchips do work -- if the information is accurate owners are reunited with their beloved pets 100 percent of the time.