Whose Animal Is This?
October 19
Low-Cost Microchip Clinic to be Held This Sunday - City of Tallahassee Animal Services, in cooperation with the Tallahassee Animal Shelter Foundation, will hold a low-cost microchip clinic at the Tallahassee-Leon Community Animal Service Center (ASC), located at 1125 Easterwood Drive next to the entrance to Tom Brown Park, on Sunday, October 25, from noon to 3:30 p.m.
Pets of all species, breeds and ages can be microchipped. Small pets must be in a pet carrier, and dogs must be on a leash. The cost is $10 per pet, which includes the microchip and registration with AVID's PETrac Recovery Network.
Getting a microchip for your pets helps protect them should they go missing. Pet ID tags can fall off or be removed. Microchips provide your pet with a simple and permanent form of identification. The microchip (about the size of a grain of rice) is inserted by a trained professional below the pet's skin, generally between the shoulder blades. The process takes only a few seconds and is relatively painless for your pet. Each microchip is encoded with a unique number that will be kept on file with AVID's PETrac Recovery Network. Once a lost pet arrives at an animal shelter or veterinary clinic, a handheld scanner is used to identify the unique number on the implanted microchip and the owner is identified and contacted.
"This is an easy way to help ensure your pets' safety," said Stephanie Sikorski, humane educator for Animal Services. "Unfortunately, less than 9 percent of the 11,000 animals that enter our facility each year are ever reclaimed. Our goal is to reunite pets and their owners and eliminate the 'lost pet' signs you see in parks, newspapers and around the Tallahassee community."
The Tallahassee Animal Shelter Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides support to the homeless animals in the care of the ASC. The ASC is operated and maintained by the City's Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Department. For more information on the Animal Service Center, call the 891-2950 or visit Talgov.com/animals
Contact
Stephanie Sikorski, Animal Service Center, 891-2966; or Lizzy Kelley, Communications Department, 891-8533
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