Collars and tags can be removed or get lost and tattooing can become illegible over time. Microchips are the only truly permanent method of identifying your dog. It lasts for the lifetime of the pet.

Cats are naturally curious and unpredictable. In the event that your cat strays away from the safety of your home a microchip is your cat's best chance of a fast return.

Animal microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are typically implanted just beneath the surface of the skin between the shoulder blades. The process is similar to receiving vaccination through a needle and is painless to pets. Most animals don't even react when the microchip is implanted, though sometimes minor swelling or slight bleeding can occur at the injection site. Once implanted the microchip remains between the shoulder blades just beneath the skin for the rest of the animal's lifetime, becoming a permanent form of identification.

All animals that are brought into Greenville County Animal Care are routinely scanned for a microchip, so long as they are safe to handle. In the event that a microchip is present, the staff will contact you based on the contact information associated with your pet's and inform you that your pet has been found.

Go to found.org and update the contact information attached to your missing pet’s microchip. The shelter, veterinary office, or other location that scans your pet for microchip information will contact you to retrieve your pet.

There are no letter O's in any Microchip ID it is ALWAYS a numerical zero.

The microchip holds a unique identification number. This number is also stored in the company’s database with which your microchip is registered, linking it to your contact information, pet details and your pet's vet information. Animal shelters, rescues, vets and humane societies nationwide scan each found pet as a standard procedure, and should a microchip be detected, your information can be quickly found and you will be called.

If we cannot reach you we will leave a voicemail and contact your emergency contact as well. In that time, we will ask the finder of your pet to keep it safe. If they cannot do that, we will ask them to bring it to Greenville County Animal Care.

Pet microchips are NOT GPS devices. The location of a lost pet cannot be searched using a microchip.

The microchips used to identify pets will last a lifetime. Once they are implanted in a pet, they will help identify that pet during its lifetime and won't need to be replaced.

The collar tag is the first line of contact if your pet ever becomes lost. Your pet's microchip is like insurance, meaning they are easily identified if they lose their collar and/or tags. If your pet is lost, the combination of the collar tag and microchip will help get them home fast and safe.

Microchips are biocompatible. This means that they are designed to be compatible with a pet's body tissue and not cause an allergic reaction when professionally implanted.

Microchips are safely contained in biocompatible glass to prevent any movement. When implanted by a staff person trained and certified to implant microchips, there is very little chance of the microchip moving.

We microchip pets of all ages. However, because of the size of the microchip needle, it can be difficult to microchip very young puppies and kittens - especially those weighing less than five pounds.