• A microchip is a small device about the size of a grain of rice that is inserted into the upper region of your pet’s back using a needle.
• The procedure takes a matter of minutes.
• The device is good for life. It cannot be removed.
• It does not work as a GPS tracker, contrary to popular belief. Once the microchip is inserted, we give you a card with the associated chip number and website information where you register the chip number. You simply register the chip with your contact information and your information is kept secure and private.
• If your pet is ever lost and the person who finds your pet brings it to a vet or the shelter, the pet can be scanned for a chip. Once a chip number comes up, we can look up your phone number and address. We will call you and send you a notice in the mail.
• If a pet is found to have a license and/or microchip, we will hold the animal for nine days for the owner to claim the animal before it is placed for adoption, as opposed to only holding the animal for two days if the animal does not have an ID.
• Any pet over 4 weeks of age can get a microchip and current County of Kaua`i legislation requires dogs and cats over 3 months of age to have a microchip.  

Unlike a metallic license which has to be updated and renewed every two years, the microchip is good for life. All of your information is kept confidential and secure electronically.

You can update your information through us by emailing customerservice@kauaihumane.org or you can update your information through the company that makes the microchip.

You should remember to update your information anytime you move, get a new phone number or email address so the information is all up to date and accurate.

• A microchip is a one-time cost investment of $20, although we offer them for free when we have the grant funding to do so. It is good for life.
• It does not go bad, has to be renewed or removed.
• It significantly increases pet reunification and increases accurate animal identification.
• It is a quick and simple process that allows you the mental security of knowing if your pet ever goes missing, that your contact information is attached in a way that can never be lost.

• Approximately every 1 in 3 pets will become lost in their lifetime. That’s about 10,000 pets a year that go missing or are stolen.
• But only about 1 in 10 without an ID or microchip will find its way back to its family.
• A dog is 2.4 times more likely to make it home if microchipped.
• A cat is 21.4 times more likely to make it home if microchipped.