August 28, 2006

A LESSON FROM KATRINA: MICROCHIP YOUR PET!
Washington Humane Society offers discounted pet microchipping to help area residents prepare for disaster

Washington, DC - Hurricane Katrina left devastation in her wake, but she also left all of us with many important lessons. One of these is to prepare your pet for disaster.

The staff of the Washington Humane Society participated fully in the New Orleans animal rescue efforts. Their team saved thousands of animals from the ruins. But their efforts to reunite pets with their people were most frequently thwarted by one tragic fact: the animals could not tell them who they were or to whom they belonged.

With that in mind, the Washington Humane Society would like to use this anniversary to remind people to prepare their animal companions for disaster. It is offering the public discounted microchipping, the most important first step in preparing a pet for disaster.

Lessons from Katrina
Nine members of the Washington Humane Society's staff went to New Orleans and joined the rescue team organized by the Humane Society of the United States. They were among the very first of the out-of-state rescuers on the scene, and they stayed long after most other groups had departed, until the New Orleans rescue emergency efforts were completed. Through their efforts, the Washington Humane Society rescuers helped more animals than any other group from the D.C. metropolitan area.

All told, the team of which the Washington Humane Society was a part saved over 10,000 animals. But of those, only about 2,500 (fewer than one in four) were re-united with their people. Why so few? Largely because the rescuers had absolutely no way of knowing whom to contact about the animal or how to get in touch with them.

There is a solution. Through a quick, simple, and safe procedure, a microchip can be implanted just beneath the animal's skin. It lies there permanently, undetected and unnoticed by the animal or his person, until it is needed. Should the animal get lost, all animal rescue professionals, animal shelters, and veterinarians can use their scanners to "read" all they need to know about the pet and how to find his person.

The Washington Humane Society utilizes this technology every day to help animals return home. Even without a disaster, every companion animal should have a microchip. Should unexpected disaster strike, a microchip may well save an animal's life.

Why Microchip your Pet?
The benefits are many:

• Unlike a collar or id tag, a microchip cannot be lost or removed
• The microchips used by the Washington Humane Society record a total of three telephone numbers for the owner, an address, and even an email.
• The microchip also tells the rescuer who the animal's veterinarian is.
• The same microchip records basic health information about the animal. Does he need medication? Is she allergic to anything? When was he vaccinated, etc.
• All this information is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• The insertion is all but painless; no worse than a rabies vaccination.
• Through the Washington Humane Society, a PetWatch24 microchip (universally readable, with fully comprehensive information) is available for only $35, about half the normal cost. Unlike with many microchips, PetWatch24 registration and updates are free.

A Special Katrina Anniversary Opportunity
The Washington Humane Society will be holding a special microchip clinic on Saturday, September 9, from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m. at the D.C. Animal Shelter, 1201 New York Avenue, NE, Washington. At the clinic, a veterinarian will be implanting microchips in dogs and cats at a cost of $35 per animal. The clinic will accept cash only for this special offer. For more information, please call 202-723-5730, ext. 226.

The Washington Humane Society works to prevent cruelty and harm to animals by enforcing animal protection laws, offering humane educations classes in D.C. schools, and providing shelter and adoptions for homeless and abused animals of all sorts. Each year, the Washington Humane Society cares for nearly 12,000 animals and responds to 15,500 calls for help. The D.C. Animal Shelter, a city-owned facility, is operated by the Washington Humane Society under a contract administered by the D.C. Department of Health.