Hey Amarillo, Get Your Pet Chipped! It Might Just Save Them

There's nothing I love more than stories with happy endings and sure enough that's coming when Texas Governor Greg Abbott signs legislation for HB 604 requiring lost pets to be scanned for microchips containing their owner's information. Here in the Panhandle that may lead to more happy reunions when you lose your pet.

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Keeping your pet out of the shelter

Let's face it, losing an animal is tough. No owner ever wants to go through losing their best friend and while they sometimes return on their own, often times they find themselves in local shelters. Many of these shelters are having capacity issues that are pushing them to the brink of what they can handle. Even here in the panhandle shelters are asking for help with fosters to keep the numbers down.

Chipping Helps

Microchipping is a safe effective way identify your pet. The best part about the process is it's relatively low cost and even free in some cases. According to the SPCA 50% of animals are happily returned to their owners. In some cases these happy reunions may actually take place years after the pet was initially lost over time if the information on the chip is kept up to date.

Many cities in the state are now making it a requirement for newly adopted pets to have microchips. Where most pet owners have issues is when they move, It's not always top of mind. It's important to keep the information on file up to date to keep those happy endings. The City of Amarillo's Animal Welfare and Management has a great page on who to call to update your pet's chip too.