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Animal Services Extends Microchip Special Through April 30th
Apr 16, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Lee County Animal Services Extends Microchip Special Through April 30th: 700 Pets Microchipped at 1st Permanent ID Clinic! Fort Myers, Florida, April 16, 2007-Lee County Animal Services held its First Annual Permanent ID Clinic for pet owners on Saturday, April 14, 2007. Seven hundred pets were implanted with nationally registered microchip IDs during the five hour event. Although the agency had hoped that many people would take advantage of the special, the results far exceeded expectations. Due to the overwhelming response, Animal Services will offer microchips for only $10 for dogs and cats throughout the rest of April. The average cost of microchip implantation is approximately $60 plus an additional $10-$20 for national registration at veterinary clinics across the country according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. This special price of only $10 represents approximately a $70 savings! A Microchip ID is a small computer chip about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted beneath the skin between the shoulder blades of the pet. It is permanent identification that cannot be lost, altered or removed. The microchip is read with a scanner carried by all animal control agencies, shelters and most veterinary clinics. All owners are encouraged to permanently identify their companion animals. Animals that enter a shelter with a microchip are reunited with their owners over 90% of the time. When the microchip is registered with owner information that is accurate and current, the number of pets reunited with an owner reaches nearly 100%. 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 promotion of permanent identification is an important step in accomplishing this goal. 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 are 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.
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