Shelter offering $15 pet ID chips

Through the end of the month, any dog or cat adopted at the Humane Society of Utah's shelter, 4242 S. 300 West, can get an identification microchip implant for only $15, according to the organization's executive director, Gene Baierschmidt.

The chips, which are regularly sold at the shelter for $25 each and can cost as much as $50 at private veterinary clinics, are one of the most important investments a pet owner can make.

"If an animal becomes separated from his or her people . . . the presence of an ID chip in the pet can astronomically improve the chances for a happy reunion," Baierschmidt said. "The chip is a tiny device about the size of a grain of rice which is painlessly implanted just under the skin between the animal's shoulder blades.

"Each one carries a unique computer code which is registered to the owner, and shelters all over the country are equipped with scanners that can read that code and match the animal with the person to whom the number is registered. It's a permanent, one-time procedure, and it's the best insurance policy a caring pet owner can have to protect a cat or dog from becoming lost and having no way to be returned to the proper family." This special $15 chip implantation in pets adopted from the Humane Society is valid only at the shelter, and will not be offered for adoptions processed from satellite sources like the Furburbia outlets or other off-site adoption locales.

For more information, call 261-2919.