Check the Chip Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Events

Check the Chip Day is annually observed on August 15. This is the time of year when we raise awareness about the importance of microchipping, which significantly aids in the reunification of lost pets with their owners. In fact, one family companion is lost every second, and only one in ten is ever found. According to estimates, approximately ten million pets are missing each year. Microchipping provides pet owners with assurance that their beloved animals are secure. No longer are canines confined within cages. Now, they are free and safe from injury.

The background of Check the Chip Day

Although microchipping canines may appear to be a recent innovation, it actually began to take shape in the 1980s. Avid Identification Systems Inc., a California-based manufacturer of animal microchips, initially filed for a licence for this technology in 1985. However, the first microchips were implanted in our feline companions only in 1989. In the same year, it became a permanent method of identifying and monitoring lost animals in the United Kingdom. According to Avid Inc.’s director of shelter operations, Mary Metzner, this technology works by actuating a radio frequency identification device (R.F.I.D.) the size of a rice grain with a handheld scanner. Following its introduction in the U.K., microchipping of pets rapidly gained global prominence.

Microchip suppliers, veterinarians, and animal welfare organisations formed the Microchip Advisory Group (now known as the Microchip Trade Association) in the 1990s. The Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (F.E.C.A.V.A.) discussed the technical and compatibility issues of microchips around this period in order to control the quality and improve the standard of microchips for animals. Their plan included instituting a code of conduct for veterinarians and maintaining a superior level of quality for their equipment and database. In 1996, the International Standards Organisation (I.S.O.) released I.S.O. 11784-1996 and I.S.O. 11785-1996, which were adopted by the United Kingdom to assure the safety of animals through the use of the most advanced technology.

Today, microchipped pets have a return-to-owner rate that is twenty times higher than non-microchipped pets. Check the Chip Day is a great opportunity to bring attention to this technology that ensures the safety of pets.

National Relaxation Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

Check the Chip Day events.

Volunteer at animal shelters.

Check the Chip Day’s purpose is to reunite stray pets with their owners. Spend the day volunteering at animal shelters and rehoming stray cats and canines.

Chip your animals

This is the day to microchip your creatures if you haven’t already. Examine the various companion safety and security advantages offered by microchipping. Although it is not required, microchipping pets protects your furry companions.

Disseminate information via social media

Celebrate the microchipping of your companion on social media and raise awareness. This is an excellent method to inform others of the importance of microchipping for all pets. Normalising and educating others about this procedure will encourage pet owners to microchip their pets.

5 Interesting Microchipping Facts

Once implanted, a microchip remains permanently under your pet’s epidermis.

Microchips do not provide precise information regarding the location or whereabouts of your companion.

Microchips are designed to withstand harsh environments and are therefore resistant to injury.

Microchipping horses, goats, sheep, deer, rabbits, and turtles, to mention a few, is simple.

Microchipping is not a surgical procedure, does not require anaesthesia, and can be performed in a few minutes.

CHECK THE CHIP DAY DATES