For many years, because collar tags are so easily lost or removed, pet owners and breeders have relied on tattoos as a more permanent form of pet identification. Unfortunately, the use of tattoos is not an unerring method. Say, for example, your dog has gotten lost. Someone finds him and takes him to the animal shelter. Upon his arrival he is unsettled and possibly frightened. The shelter aide quickly notes the gnarled metal ring dangling from his collar where his I.D. tag used to rest. As she attempts to check your dog for a tattoo, he snarls and squirms. His hair is matted and the aide does not see the small series of numbers located near his right hind leg. This is not an uncommon scenario, so people have been trying to find other systems of identification.Microchipsare one of the latest and most popular systems.
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Similar tobar codesandmagnetic stripes, microchips are a form ofautomatic identification technology．Generally, these microchips are used to store and transmit information that is specifically related to something or someone. They can beimplanted, either by injection or a surgical procedure, temporarily inserted or simply attached to an object. Because they use radio-frequency signals to relay the stored information, they are referred to asradio-frequency identification(RFID).
According to the two main manufacturers, AVID and Destron Fearing, microchips used in pet identification and recovery are programmed to store a unique, permanentidentification number．The chip and an天线are sealed in an airtight, biocompatiblecapsulemade of glass. The entire mechanism can range in size from less than half an inch to a little over an inch in length. The average microchip is about the size of a grain of rice. The device itself contains no battery, and its electronic circuitry is only activated when it is being scanned.
The method of植入the microchip is very much like administering a vaccination. A sterile applicator is used to inject the microchip just under the skin at the back of the dog's neck, between the shoulder blades. To avoidmigration(movement from the original implant site), one company uses a patented sheath to promotebondingbetween fibrous tissue and the microchip capsule.
Once the microchip is successfully implanted, it can be "read" using a scanning device. The scanner emits a low-frequency radio signal, activating the microchip. The microchip then sends the unique identification number back to the scanner. After the information is encoded, the scanner displays the number on itsLCDdisplay. The number is then entered into adatabase, along with the propercontact information．Programs like the American Kennel Club (AKC) Companion Animal Recovery (CAR) program maintain worldwide databases so they can help reunite lost pets with their families. According to the AKC CAR, more than900,000 petsand companion animals have been registered in its database, which does include tattooed animals, and almost50,000 petshave been reunited with their families.
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