Microchip Your Pets!

Edgewood Animal Control Officer Vicki Murphy and her husband Cameron came back from two weeks of late-September animal rescue work in southern Louisiana knowing they wanted to do more. Yes, they’d already pulled a horse trailer to New Orleans and back (filling it with dog crates that were dropped off at a pet rescue facility in Mississippi when, despite reports, no horses were found), brought back 10 dogs, many with heartworm (and all but one now adopted), and waded through what they describe as the “war zone” of post-Katrina New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish wearing hip waders and masks, both rescuing reported animals and deviating to save others they discovered as they made their daily rounds.

But the Murphy’s knew that if the animals of southern Louisiana had been microchipped, many more would have been reunited with their families. That’s why Vicki is offering reduced-rate microchipping ($25 per animal) through the town of Edgewood during the month of February. The process involves injecting a microchip the size of a grain of rice between an animal’s shoulder blades. The registration information you provide—including phone numbers of those outside your area who will know how to find you in the event of an emergency—goes into a national database accessed by shelters, veterinarians and law enforcement officials. Microchipped animals are given more time at shelters and are far more likely to be reunited with their owners. Those who take advantage of the Edgewood offer will also receive a tag that reads, “I’m microchipped,” and provides an 800-number that accesses the national database. To make an appointment, call Vicki Murphy at 286-4518, ext. 4.