A Day of Safety in Coquitlam
On Sunday, June 2, BC Pet Registry—a program under BC SPCA—successfully supported a second “Microchipping & Scanning Event” at the BC SPCA Tri-Cities Education and Adoption Centre after its first event at the BC SPCA Surrey location. It was a day dedicated to enhancing the safety and security of our beloved pets. This microchipping event was a resounding success, with pet owners taking the proactive step of microchipping their furry friends! Here is a recap of the day’s highlights.
Community Spirits
First of all, we would not be able to do this without the support of our two volunteer veterinarians, Dr. Leah Montgomery (right) and Dr. Camryn Pettifer (left), both from Riverwood Veterinary Clinic who graciously donated their time for this event, and our dedicated volunteers who put their time and effort into making this initiative possible. It is deeply appreciated, as we get to see how our community comes together for such a great cause. Learn more about how we give back to the veterinary community here.
Additionally, thank you to pet owners who participated and took the crucial step of microchipping their pets. We now have an additional 38 pets microchipped and registered to the BC Pet Registry provincial database. With everyone’s contributions under the same mission of ensuring the safety and well-being of our beloved animals, we achieved a remarkable success. Thank you all for coming together to make a difference in our community.
The Importance of Registering Microchips for Your Pets
While the microchipping procedures were in full swing, we also helped scan pets brought in by their owners to ensure their microchips were scannable and registered. To our surprise, one in two animals we scanned had a microchip but not linked to any registries in North America. That is 50% of the animals we scanned that day! We were glad to be able to help find those unregistered animals and inform the owners of their next steps.
It is important to get a microchip implanted into your pet, however, if unregistered, it will not make the microchip useful. It is a shared responsibility between the service provider and the pet owners to ensure the animals are properly registered with up-to-date information. We encourage pet owners to make sure they always check the registered information by logging in right after their pet is registered. These recent discoveries of unregistered pets are shocking. We ask pet owners to help spread the word among their friends and families – learn more here.
If you discover that your pet’s microchip is not registered, consider registering directly with the BC Pet Registry. By doing so, you take the initiative to protect your pet and support the lifesaving work of the BC SPCA.
A Community Effort to Ensure Pet Safety and Quick Reunions
“We saw there was a need for a microchipping clinic in our community and felt this was the perfect opportunity to reach as many families as possible to get this done for their pets.”
–says Diane Nishikihama, manager of the BC SPCA Tri-Cities Education & Adoption Centre.
Typically, the cost of microchipping a pet range from $60 to $125, which can be a financial barrier to some pet owners. Because we see the need for such a service, that is when we decided to seek help from our local veterinarians to see if there is a possibility for us hosting a clinic and we were fortunate to have two veterinarians support us.
With our commitment to securing the safety of every animal and the dedication of veterinarians and volunteers, we offered all the necessary services based on donations for this event – the microchip, its implantation by a licensed veterinarian, and the lifetime registration of the chip to the BC Pet Registry, the provincial database. By offering this service on a donation basis, we made it accessible for everyone to protect their pets, reflecting our spirit of “To Community, From Community” as a non-profit program.
The Importance of Microchipping: CDC’s Updated Regulations
A common question asked during this event was the CDC’s new regulations regarding bringing your dog into the United States, effective August 1, 2024. One of the important regulations includes Microchipping your dog prior to entering the state, with an ISO-compliant microchip and a letter from your local veterinarian. Having an ISO-compliant chip is crucial to your pets’ safety as it is universally scannable and internationally traceable, making cross-border trips safe.
All BC Pet Registry’s microchips are ISO-compliant, ensuring the safe travel of your pets. To learn more about these regulations, click here to view the complete announcement from the CDC’s official website, or visit your local veterinary clinic.
Snapshots of Our Furry Friends and Thank you!
It was great seeing all the beloved pets of our community members. Take a look at some snapshots capturing the joy and precious moments shared at our second Microchipping & Scanning Event.
Interested in our future events? Stay tuned for any future updates through our Facebook and Instagram. If you want to learn more about microchipping and its importance, click here for more information.
