A microchip is a way for someone to identify your pet if he or she should ever get lost. Collar tags can fall off, be removed, or become unreadable over time, but the info from a microchip will always be affiliated with your pet.
A microchip is a small, permanent implant, about the size of a large grain of rice, that is permanently placed under your pet’s skin between its shoulder blades. The chip uses passive RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology to permanently associate your pet with a unique number, which is recorded in a national registry.
New Rattitude uses microchips from 24PetWatch, said to be North America’s most accurate database linking microchip numbers to pet owner and pet information. Every New Rattitude dog is microchipped while in foster care, and upon adoption we register the dog’s chip number, descriptive info, and adopter contact info with the 24PetWatch database.
A vet or animal shelter can use a hand-held scanner to quickly and easily scan a found pet for a microchip. The scanner will reveal the pet’s microchip number, which can be looked up in the national registry to find your name and contact information. Upon receiving a call about a found pet, 24PetWatch first records the finder’s details then places the caller on hold while they attempt to contact you. Once you’re on the phone, they will connect you (with your permission) with the finder and will remain on the three-way call for extra safety. If 24PetWatch cannot reach you, they will leave you a voicemail and then contact your emergency contact or current vet clinic. They can also contact New Rattitude, since we are the back-up contact on every microchip sold to us. If New Rattitude cannot reach you either, we can make plans to pick up the dog and keep him or her safe until we are able to locate you and reunite you.
Shortly after adoption, 24PetWatch will send you a letter to confirm the information we have provided and explain the program. Please review the information carefully and make any needed changes right away by contacting 24PetWatch at 1-866-597-2424 or online at www.24PetWatch.com. If you update your info on-line, choose the “log-in” option rather than the “registration” option (since we will have already registered your new dog). Your user ID is the email address you provided in your adoption application. You will need to select “Forgot my password,” and 24PetWatch will then email you an initial password, which you’ll be able to change to a permanent one.
For the system to work, it is important to keep yourr contact information updated with 24PetWatch. You may update your information at any time during the first year for FREE. After the first year, to update your information you will have to pay 24PetWatch’s $18.95/year annual maintenance fee, which then allows you to make unlimited changes over the next 12 months. Alternatively, you may choose to pay a $44.95 lifetime fee, which allows you to make unlimited changes at any time for the life of the pet. If you do not pay the annual or lifetime fee, the pet’s info does NOT get dropped from the database! But paying the fee is the only way you’ll be able to update information in the account after the first year.
When you update your information with 24PetWatch please remember to also notify New Rattitude so that we can update our own records. This is important so that we can quickly reach you in case someone were to contact our toll-free Lost Dog Hotline about your pet.
Do you have other pets at home who need to be microchipped? You can buy chips economically from New Rattitude and either implant them yourself (we will include instructions) or pay your vet a nominal fee for the implantation. Order microchips with our on-line form HERE or by downloading a paper copy HERE.