Those pet owners who have not had their dogs and cats microchipped will pay more in license fees next year. Effective as of Jan. 1, 2010, the cost of a one-year tag for pets that are sterilized and microchipped will be $8, however for those who are not sterilized or microchipped the cost will jump to $35. For those purchasing a three-year licence, the cost will be $15 for a pet that is sterilized and microchipped and those that are not, will pay $65.

Microchipping is not harmful to pets and aides greatly when a lost animal is retrieved by an animal shelter or veterinarians office. A small computer chip, about the size of a grain of rice, is placed under the animal’s skin, usually between the shoulder blades. When the animal is found, the microchip can be scanned and the owner identified. In addition to having the animal’s owner information available to local agencies and vets, owners can also register the pet’s microchip number into a national data base so that the pet can be identified regardless of where it is in the country and be returned to the owner.

According to Lee County Domestic Animal Service, every animal that enters the shelter is scanned for identification purposes, however, only 13 percent of the animals who end up at the Lee County shelter are microchipped.

According to Dr. Scott Wouk, DVM, microchipping has several benefits for both the pet and the pet owner.

“I think it is important for people to have their pets microchipped in the event that the animal wanders off and gets picked up by Lee County Animal Services. Animals typically don’t fair well in the shelter because of stress and the sooner the owner is contacted the better,” said Dr. Wouk. “Also the majority of pets that end up at shelters are never reunited with their families because they have no identification and eventually are euthanised.”

On Jan. 9, from noon until 2 p.m., Lee County Animal Services will be offering a microchip clinic at its facility located at 5600 Banner Drive in Fort Myers. The cost for the microchip will be $15 or $5 with proof of public assistance. However, these chips will only be registered in Lee County and those who travel out of the area with pets will need to have the chip registered with a national registry.

“This is the best way, bar none, to get your pet back. The majority of pets we receive here at the Lee County Animal Shelter have no identification at all, but microchipping will save a lot of lives, not to mention alleviating the stress and heartbreak of loosing a pet,” said Ria Brown with Lee County Domestic Animal Services. “With the microchip clinics we are trying to make this as painless as possible for the pet owners to bring their pets into compliance.”

Among the most commonly used microchips are those produced by the AVID company and to register your pet into their national data base is a one-time fee of $19.95. According to Dr. Wouk, his fee for microchipping is $39 and the chips he inserts are registered with an international registry and are recognized world-wide. In addition, the $39 is a one-time fee that keeps the chip registration activated for the life of the pet.

Dr. Wouk is a “house call” vet and will come to the home to provide vaccinations and microchipping.

While Dr. Wouk is a proponent of microchipping, he does feel that the timing is not the best.

“By law, when a vet gives an animal a rabies vaccination, they are required to report it to Lee County Animal Services to ensure that the animal will be licensed with the county. During these economic times, many people simply cannot afford another expense like microchipping and it is my fear that a lot of people just won’t get their animal vaccinated to avoid the expense of the increased license fees or microchipping,” said Dr. Wouk. “On the other hand, I encourage all responsible pet owners to consider microchipping now. The expense of microchipping will be easily recovered in the first three years of licensing alone and they also will have the peace of mind knowing if their pet is lost, its chances are much greater when it comes to being returned to its home.”

For more information about pet license fees or microchip clinics at Lee County Domestic Animal Services, call 533-7387, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, or visit the Web site at LeeLostPets.com.

To contact Wouk, call 941-875-4050 Monday through Friday during regular business hours.

How it works

To microchip a dog or cat, a veterinarian will inject a small computer chip, about the size of a grain of rice, beneath the animals skin between the shoulder blades and it is no more painful than any inoculation. The one-of-a- kind number on the chip is recorded into a computer along with owner contact information. When a lost animal is recovered, it can be scanned for this information and the owner can be notified that the pet has been recovered.