First Annual Permanent Pet ID Clinic
Mar 28, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Ria Brown, Public Information Specialist, Lee County Animal Services First Annual Permanent Pet ID Clinic: Lee County Animal Services Offers $5 Microchips! Fort Myers, Florida, March 28, 2007-Lee County Animal Services will hold its First Annual Permanent ID Clinic for pet owners on Saturday, April 14, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the shelter, 5600 Banner Drive, Fort Myers, off Six Mile Cypress Pkwy., next to the Sheriff's Dept. Microchip IDs will cost just $5 including the national registration (cash only please). Pet owners should definitely not miss this rare opportunity. "This is an unbelievable price for the microchip itself, but this also includes a national registration," says Ria Brown, Lee County Animal Services Public Information Officer. "This means permanent identification is affordable for every pet owner," adds Brown. The average cost of microchip implantation in 2004 was $60 plus $10-20 for national registration at veterinary clinics across the country according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. The $5 microchip clinic represents up to a $75 savings! A Microchip ID is a small computer chip about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted beneath the animal's skin between the shoulder blades. It is permanent identification that cannot be lost or removed. The microchip is read with a scanner carried by all animal control agencies and most veterinary clinics. The event is being held in conjunction with Tag Day, the national campaign sponsored by the American Humane Association to encourage all owners to identify their companion animals. Animals that enter a shelter with a license tag or microchip nearly always are reunited with their owners. In 2006 Animal Services took in more than 16,000 pets. Only 16% of the lost dogs and less than 1% of lost cats were reclaimed by their owners. While this is consistent with the national average, Lee County's goal is to be able to identify all owned animals that enter the shelter. The agency's Permanent ID Clinic on April 14th is the first step in accomplishing this. For more information about microchip Identification, contact Lee County Animal Services at (239) 432-2083 or www.LeeLostPets.com. Photos and information about lost pets and pets for adoption is also available online. Lee County Animal Services provides animal control services throughout Lee County and operates an animal shelter to house stray and abandoned domestic animals. In addition to administering the pet licensing program for Lee County, the agency also offers low-cost spay/neuter programs, educational initiatives, and rabies and bite case control programs. All license fees collected are used for spay/neuter and education programs. The shelter is located off Six Mile Cypress Parkway next to the Lee County Sheriff's Dept. |