Microchip company ceases operations, pet owners urged to re-register

Animal shelters, rescues, and veterinarian clinics around the U.S. are posting on social media telling pet owners to check their four-legged friends' microchips after learning a major microchip company is no longer providing services.

Pet microchips are tiny but they can save lives.

More Details: National microchip company 'Save this Life' goes dark, local animal hospitals and rescues respond

"Microchipping is an absolutely crucial tool for reuniting pets with their families when they get lost," said Dan Cody, Executive Director of Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh.

But what if your pet has a chip that doesn't work properly? 

That's what many animal organizations nationwide fear for pets with microchips registered with a company called Save This Life. Official documents from the state of Texas show the company ceased operations.

When we called the company, their phones were down. 

"The closure of this company is really concerning for us and you know we want to make sure that everybody has a microchip in their pet and that it's actively registered with the database," Cody said.

Cody said they've had a few animals come in the last six months that had Save This Life microchips.

"And we had a hard time reaching out to the company as well. So, it did become concerning to us. They were unresponsive or did not respond very well," he said.

If you're unsure which company your cats or dogs' chips are registered with, check them.

"You can go to your local veterinarian office, a local police station, or even a local animal shelter like HARP, and we can help check that for you and scan your animal. And then you take that number that's on there and there's a tool online where you can go look it up," Cody said.

He said you check the number by using the AAHA Universal Microchip Lookup Tool at this link.

If you discover your pet's microchip was registered to the company that's ceased operations, you'll need to register with a different company. 

"So, if you find that you are affected by this, you're going to want to go to one of these other websites that do the registrations. So, things like AKC Reunite, and PetLink. 24PetWatch these are all large companies who've been around for a long time and have good reputations," said Cody.

The American Kennel Club shared a post from its AKC Reunite Facebook page, encouraging people to enroll in microchips with AKC Reunite. The post said in part, "If your dog or cat has a microchip number that starts with 991 or 900164 then it could be a Save This Life microchip. Save This Life suddenly closed, and your pet may not be protected."

Cody said if your furry best friend isn't microchipped, take them to a vet or shelter like HARP to get one implanted under their skin so they have a permanent ID. Microchipping can be done at HARP's East Side and North Side Veterinary Medical Center by appointment. 

"We get pets brought in all the time from animal care and control. Those really are just pets that are lost. And the first thing that we do when they come in is scan them for that microchip and that allows us to immediately give you a phone call It keeps the worry away and allows you to get your pet back in the home where it's loved," Cody said.

Cody also added regardless of what company you use, this is a good reminder to just check your pets' microchip to make sure your contact information is up to date as well.