Microchips can help you get in touch with the person who found your pet.
MACON, Ga. — Kim Chapman’s world hasn’t been the same since June 14. That’s when her pet of 11 years, Diogie, went missing from her property.
“Nobody has seen him. It’s almost like he vanished in thin air. And I know that’s not possible. I know he’s out there somewhere,” she said.
- Went missing on June 14 near Chapman Road and Highway 27 in Butler
- He is 11 years old
- Ears are not cut and tail is not docked
- Very light reverse blue brindle and white
She’s passed out fliers, put out notes, gone door to door, and worked every single day since he went missing to find him. She’s even put out a thousand-dollar reward for anyone who brings her dog home.
“If you have him, and ‘oh this is a cool dog’, I’ll give you a thousand dollars, go get your own,” she said.
Until he went missing, she never considered microchipping her dog. Now, she wishes she could go back and change that.
“I would give anything in this world if I had gotten him microchipped,” Chapman said.
Elvin Vargas works as an Adoptions Coordinator at Bibb County Animal Services and said Chapman isn’t the only one who didn’t know about microchips until something happened. He said he’s seen many people lose their pets and wish they had done something preventative to get them back.
“The last thing you want is for your animal to be lost or something like that and not being able to find it or if someone finds your animal and not being able to get in contact with you,” Vargas said.
That’s why his team is offering $5 microchips for cats and dogs all month long during August. He said between the fireworks, storms and severe weather of the summertime, it’s easy for dogs to go missing.
Microchips contain information about the dog and the owner, like an address, phone number, and email address. Vets and shelters can check animals for chips when they come in, and contact owners through the chip if they find one. Microchips are smaller than a grain of rice, take a couple minutes to put in and are painless or nearly painless for the pets.
He said some people have misconceptions about what microchips are.
“It is not a GPS tracking device. We cannot use a satellite to track where the animal is at,” Vargas said.
His team is also locally doing a nationwide event called “Clear the Shelter,” where adoption fees for animals are waived during the month of August. That means you can take home an animal that’s spayed or neutered, and has its necessary shots, at no cost to you.
For Chapman, she’ll keep hoping Diogie will come home to mend her broken heart. She said you can return Diogie to her for the $1,000 reward, no questions asked.