Why You Must Not Forget To Chip And Register Your Pet
Chipping and registering pets are essential to quickly reunite missing animals with their owners. However, a microchip alone is not enough – only through free registration with FINDEFIX, the pet registry of the German Animal Welfare Association, can the pet be unequivocally identified.
Registering pets – Marking with a Microchip alone is not enough
The beloved pet has disappeared – a true nightmare for every pet owner. Thousands of animals go missing every year, many of which luckily end up in animal shelters thanks to attentive people. Unfortunately, still half of all pets are not marked, and even fewer are registered.
Many owners lack the crucial information that the 15-digit number stored on the transponder (also known as a "microchip") provides no information about the owner's or the pet's data. Only when animals are marked with a microchip and also registered can adventurers and escapees quickly return home.
Chipping pets: How it works and why Registration is necessary
Your pet gets a microchip with a unique number implanted at the vet's office. The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is injected into the skin with a syringe. The process is comparable to that of a vaccination. Only a unique 15-digit number is stored on the chip, which is then linked to further data of the pet and the owner in the pet register. No address and pet data are stored on the microchip itself. These must be kept up-to-date in the pet register. So, if you move or get a new phone number, you should update your data accordingly.
If you miss your pet and it is found, a vet or an animal shelter can read the number with a special device. The police usually also have such microchip readers. If the unique combination of numbers on the chip is registered together with your contact details at FINDEFIX for free, your pet can be quickly matched to you and return to you.
The system thus consists of two steps: first, chipping, i.e., implanting a microchip at the vet's office, and second, registering with FINDEFIX, the pet register of the German Animal Welfare Association.
What does it cost to register a pet?
As mentioned, registration with FINDEFIX is completely free. Only the insertion at the vet's office costs around 50 euros. Some vet practices also take care of the registration in the pet register by arrangement: It’s best to ask your vet directly about this.
Animal shelters usually ensure that all their animals are chipped. Most also handle registration for the new owners and inform them about it. You only have to remember to keep the stored data up-to-date.
If your pet is not yet registered, you can easily and quickly register it online in just three minutes at www.findefix.com.
What are the alternatives?
Another way to register is by tattooing the ear (mostly for cats). However, this is not recognized for international travel. Also, it can fade, or hair can grow over the tattoo, making it illegible. However, through the tattoo, a finder can see with the naked eye that the animal has a home. A microchip, on the other hand, can only be detected with a reader, and many people don't (yet) know about this type of animal identification. Nevertheless, microchipping is and remains the safest option.
Conclusion
A dog runs away from a rest area during a vacation trip. A cat is involved in an accident and runs away. These worries should not dominate everyday life. Hopefully, your pet will always stay by your side. However, it is prudent to prepare for an emergency: With the identification and free registration at FINDEFIX, you can be immediately informed when your pet has been found.
Chipping and registering pets are important steps to ensure the safety and well-being of our beloved animals. This allows you and your pet to be quickly reunited. Additionally, animal shelters are relieved if they can immediately return the found animals to their owners. Furthermore, pet owners are now legally required to mark and register their animals, for example, when traveling or moving abroad with their dog or cat, as the pet must be uniquely identified. In many cities and municipalities, there is also a requirement for outdoor cats to be neutered, marked, and registered.
About FINDEFIX, the pet register of the German Animal Welfare Association
The German Animal Welfare Association (Deutscher Tierschutzbund e.V.) was founded in 1881 as an umbrella organization for animal welfare associations and shelters in Germany. Today, it includes 16 state associations, around 740 animal welfare associations with 550 association-owned shelters, and over 800,000 members.
As a free service offered by the German Animal Welfare Association, the German Pet Register was established in 1981 to protect pets in case they go missing. It is the oldest register of its kind in Germany and the only one run by a non-profit animal welfare organization. In 2017, the register received a modern revamp and was renamed "FINDEFIX – The pet register of the German Animal Welfare Association". The new website www.findefix.com came with an extensive range of services, which are still absolutely free.
FINDEFIX has enabled pet owners, veterinarians, and animal shelters to quickly and easily, but most importantly, freely register their pets for almost 45 years so that the animals can be returned home if they go missing. The search is conducted professionally through the excellent network of all animal welfare associations and shelters affiliated with the German Animal Welfare Association. Even on vacation, registered pets are protected, as FINDEFIX can check for possible registration in over 30 other registers worldwide. The pet register operates on a non-profit basis and uses the extensive network to locate a missing reported animal.
Signing up with FINDEFIX is easy, quick, and free! Afterwards, you will receive a written confirmation with all important documents. Dog owners also receive a tag for the collar. This tag has the register's phone number and a uniquely assigned registration number engraved. If a finder calls FINDEFIX and mentions this registration number, the pet register can quickly identify the owner. Increase the chance of your pet returning to you with this simple measure, so that you can quickly hold your beloved pet in your arms again if the worst happens.
If you ever miss your pet, you can report it by phone, but it is better to do it on the website, where you can directly create a search alert including a photo. This alert will be published in the 'Lost/Found' section on the FINDEFIX website. Your pet will also be added to the online search radius for missing animals. If someone sees or finds an apparently lost pet, the map will show which animals are missing within a radius of 10, 20, 30, 50, or 100 kilometers.
If your pet is found, the chip is read, and the stored number is recorded, finders can contact FINDEFIX directly. The register has all the information about your pet and you stored in its database. This ensures that your pet can be clearly assigned and unquestionably identified.
Why does the German Animal Welfare Association offer this service?
On the one hand, animals that run away should not be exposed to unnecessary stress and should be brought back to their familiar environment as quickly as possible through registration. On the other hand, this simple measure not only relieves veterinarians and their staff when desperate owners come to the practice looking for help, but also actively supports animal shelters, which do not have to care for animals long-term that actually have their own home. This leaves more time and space for animals still looking for their forever home.
"Of course, we hope our service never has to be used. However, we know from experience that it can happen to anyone at any time that their beloved pet disappears without a trace. We are always overjoyed when owners can hold their beloved pets in their arms again! Because all of us at the FINDEFIX team have pets and we know exactly how the owners suffer during this time. When the desperate hours, days, weeks, or even months finally come to an end and a missing pet finds its way back thanks to FINDEFIX, we are also overjoyed every time. This is why we do our work." (Daniela Rohs, Head of the Pet Register)
By the way: Other animals can also go missing. At FINDEFIX, not only cats and dogs can be registered for free, but also horses, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, turtles, and many more.
Contact: FINDEFIX – The Pet Register of the German Animal Welfare Association, In der Raste 10, 53129 Bonn, Tel: 0228-6049635, Email: info@findefix.com, www.findefix.com, Facebook: HaustierregisterFINDEFIX, Instagram: findefix
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