Pet microchips are tiny implants that, when scanned, provide registration information on the animal’s owner so that they can be returned. This device is intended to act as a more permanent collar since collars can be lost or removed easily. However, this technology is not as foolproof as it may first appear.
While microchips are permanent, their content is not as easily accessible as collars, meaning that someone who relies solely on a microchip requires a good samaritan willing to go out of their way to return a pet. Microchips must be scanned, usually done at vets or animal shelters, meaning the person must take the lost dog or cat to one of these locations to even try to return them to their owners. A tag on a collar has its information instantaneously accessible to anyone who comes across the lost pet. It is fair to say that someone, especially a busy person, would be far more willing to return an animal with a collar than a microchip.
The idea of a microchip is to remove any worry should your pet go missing. However, this out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality could prove to be more detrimental should someone’s information change, not to mention the fact that 9.8% of chips are unregistered, making them effectively useless. Collars are something that an owner likely sees every day, reminding them that, if their personal information changes, they need to get an updated tag. Microchips, on the other hand, are designed to give peace of mind and be forgotten about, causing issues in this same situation.
Microchips can hold more information on an animal, as the space on a collar is limited However, when all someone truly needs to return a pet is a single phone number or address, this additional knowledge could prove to be worthless.
All of this being said, there is no real downside to microchipping. The best way to ensure a pet’s return is to both microchip and have a tagged collar for your pet. Both collars and microchips have their limitations, but it seems that in this case, old-school physical collars beat out new-age technology.
