If your pet slipped out the door tonight, would their microchip actually lead back to you?

That sounds like a small paperwork question. It is not. A microchip is one of the best low-cost ways to help a lost dog or cat get home, but the chip itself is only half the job. The other half is the record behind it: the registry, the phone number, the email address, and the backup contact a shelter or veterinary clinic can reach when your pet is found.

This is a good time to check. AAHA and the AVMA recognize Check the Chip Day each August 15, and AAHA updated several pet-owner microchip resources this year. The message is simple: don’t just assume your pet is “chipped.” Make sure the chip can be found, read, and connected to you.

A microchip is not a tracker

A pet microchip is a tiny ID device, about the size of a grain of rice, placed under the skin—usually between the shoulder blades. It does not have a battery. It does not show your pet’s location. It is not GPS.

When a veterinary hospital, shelter, or animal control officer scans the pet, the scanner reads the chip’s ID number. That number then has to connect to a registry record with your contact information. If the record is missing, outdated, or attached to a registry that no longer works, the chip may not do what you hoped it would do.

That is why it helps to make microchip checks part of routine veterinary care. Your veterinary team can scan the chip, confirm the number, and help you make sure this simple safety net is actually working.

The numbers are worth paying attention to

Research published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association looked at more than 7,700 microchipped animals entering 53 shelters. Microchipped dogs and cats were much more likely to make it home than pets without chips. But the same study also found a very practical problem: when owners could not be found, common reasons included incorrect or disconnected phone numbers, no response from the owner, or the animal being registered to another organization.

In other words, the chip helped—but only when the trail led to a person who could be reached.

AAHA’s more recent pet-owner guidance makes the same point. Microchips can last for a pet’s lifetime, but the registration has to be maintained. If you move, change phone numbers, switch email addresses, adopt a pet from someone else, or add a new emergency contact, the registry needs to know.

A registry can change, too

One reason this is especially important now: microchip registries are not all the same, and they are not one single government-run database. AAHA’s Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool helps identify which registry may have information for a chip number, but AAHA notes that it does not store owner information or update chips for pet owners.

In 2025, the microchip service Save This Life closed abruptly and was disconnected from AAHA’s lookup system. AAHA advised affected pet owners to contact their veterinarian, get the chip number, and re-register with another company if needed.

That does not mean microchips are unreliable. It means they need the same kind of routine maintenance as the rest of your pet’s care.

Your five-minute chip check

At your pet’s next wellness visit, ask your veterinarian or technician for a quick microchip scan. Then do these five things:

  1. Write down the chip number. Keep it in your phone and with your pet’s medical records.
  2. Use AAHA’s lookup tool to see which registry or registries are connected to the chip.
  3. Log in to the registry account and confirm your phone number, email, address, and backup contact.
  4. Update the registration record with the owner and emergency-contact information the registry asks for.
  5. Repeat once a year—and any time you move, change numbers, adopt a pet, or transfer ownership.

Also, keep the collar tag. AAHA and AVMA both emphasize that a microchip does not replace visible ID tags. A neighbor who finds your dog may be able to call the number on the tag immediately, without waiting for a scan.

Why this supports local veterinary care

This is one of those quiet places where routine veterinary care can really help. A veterinary team can scan the chip during a visit, give you the chip number, and help you take the next step of checking the appropriate registry. If a registry problem appears—such as missing or outdated contact information—the important move is to update the registration directly with the microchip company or re-register when needed.

The takeaway is simple: don’t stop at “my pet has a chip.” Ask, “Is the chip registered, readable, and tied to the right phone number?”

That small check could be the difference between a scary lost-pet story and a quick ride home.