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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday May 17, 2008 - 11 Microchipped pets don't get lost for long T here's no place like home for pets, but if cats and dogs manage to get loose and do not have identification, the odds of reuniting with their owner are significantly reduced. To help keep pets connected to their owners, the Oakville and District Humane Society is hosting a microchip clinic on Sunday, May 25. The event is just one way the society is helping to ensure that all pets, if lost, have traceable identification that helps bring them home. "Each year we have hundreds of animals come into the shelter that are not wearing any identification," said Rob Bauer, Animal Protective Services Manager at the Oakville and District Humane Society. "If they had just been wearing an upto-date dog licence tag, a cat identification tag registered at the shelter, or had a microchip we would have been able to call their owners. Without proper traceable identification the onus of responsibility is on the owners to keep coming into the shelter to find their animals." The Oakville and District Humane Society relies on dog licence and cat registration tag information to quickly reconnect pets with their owners through their in-house database. If the animal's tags are missing, then the Society will scan the animal to see if it has a microchip. Animal microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are typically implanted just beneath the skin between the shoulder blades by a veterinarian. The process is similar to a vaccination and most animals do not react when the microchip is implanted. Once implanted the microchip remains just beneath the skin for the rest of the animal's lifetime, a permanent form of identification. "Collars can get lost, so while having a dog or cat tag is helpful it may not be a foolproof form of identification. We usually recommend both a microchip and tag to maximize the number of identifiers that quickly link an animal to its owner," said Bauer. On Sunday, May 25, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. the Oakville and District Humane Society will be hosting a microchip clinic. Local veterinarians are donating their time to support the event. Cat and dog owners are invited to bring their pet to the shelter located at 445 Cornwall Rd. (just west of Trafalgar on the north side of the road, beyond the Whole Foods store). The short procedure costs $29.95/pet. "As a charitable organization we are finding it increasingly challenging to keep up with animal growth in this area," stated Johanne Golder, Executive Director of the Oakville & District Humane Society. "With an increasing number of unclaimed stray animals coming through our doors daily it places additional demands on our resources. Ideally an animal's stay is shortened because we can reconnect them with their owner through identification." Golder adds that microchip clinics are one way the shelter helps pet owners, Keep your pet connected to your family. Visit the microchip clinic on Sunday, May 25th and help make sure your pet's never too far from home. . Yes! I want to join The Oakville & District Humane Society's monthly giving program and give hope today -- and every day. PET OF THE WEEK: Maggie is an older Wolfhound mix with a fun sense of humour. For more information on the animals available for adoption visit www.oakvillehumane.ca, call 905845-1551 or visit the shelter located at 445 Cornwall Rd. while proactively combating law in the Town of Oakville, an increasing volume of strays visit the shelter or the Town's and lost animals that are municipal office at 1225 unclaimed due to lack of iden- Trafalgar Rd. tification. Licence forms are available To find out more about the at all pet retailers, libraries and microchip clinic, please con- veterinarians. 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