Pet recovery service

Unlike the identifying collar tags mentioned above, the appropriate database keeper cannot always be determined from the ID number, complicating the task of returning the pet to its owner.

A potential downfall is that if the pet's information is not registered with all databases, a thief can steal the animal using the secure and tamper-proof' ID device.

Then, they can register the stolen pet with another database and sell the animal, transferring an apparent clear title in the form of a login account at, or registration document from, the second registry.

A drawback of metasearch engines is that many shelters do not have the resources to search registry sites for owner information once they access the chip number.

A typical pet microchip registration costs $25 to $100 per year, and it is incumbent upon the owner to maintain the accuracy of the database in the event of a move or change in contact information.

[8] Registering and keeping the owner's contact information up-to-date is a problem facing the pet microchip industry.

According to an Ohio State University study, the main reasons owners aren't found for lost pets included incorrect or disconnected phone numbers (35.4%), the owner's failure to return phone calls or respond to letters (24.3%), unregistered microchips (9.8%), or microchips registered in a database that differed from the manufacturer (17.2%).

There are free registration databases available, such as those at Veripet's Rabies Reader Page and Found Animals Microchip Registry are chip manufacture agnostic.