This news item expired on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 so the information below could be outdated or incorrect.
Microchips are your pet's return address!
If you would like your pet microchipped, the Buncombe County Animal Shelter can provide that service to you for $15. Stop by during the Shelter's normal business hours (Mon. - Sat., 9am - 6pm) for this quick and easy service. Our address is 16 Forever Friend Lane, Asheville, NC. Questions? Call us at 828.250.6430.
How does a Microchip work?
After checking that the animal does not already have a chip, the technician injects the chip with a syringe and records the chip's unique ID. No anesthetic is required. A test scan ensures that the ID is registered. An enrollment form is completed with chip ID, owner contact information, pet name and description, shelter and/or veterinarian contact information, and an alternate emergency contact designated by the pet owner.
The information from the form is entered into the computer which puts it into 24-hour Pet Watch’s national registry. The registry provides 24-hour, toll-free telephone service for the life of the pet. Authorities and shelters scan strays for chips, providing 24-hour Pet Watch with the ID number, description and location so they may notify the owner or contact.
At point of intake, we scan every incoming animal for a microchip. This is why it is crucial that your contact information is current in the microchip registry. At times, we will find a microchip in an animal and our attempts to contact the owner are restricted by a disconnected phone number or change of address. If the contact information is correct, we've been able to return lost pets to their families within an hour of their arrival at 16 Forever Friend Lane!