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The Richmond County Humane Society will hold a micro-chipping event at the animal shelter on Saturday to help pets stay united with their families, especially during the holidays.

Losing a pet can be a devastating and traumatic experience. Micro-chipping your pet and enrolling them in the AKC Companion Animal Recovery Program (AKC CAR) can help link your pet with a 24/7 recovery network. This will greatly increase the chance that your pet will be returned to you, if ever lost or stolen.

This micro-chipping clinic, taking place at 529 W. Highway 74 in Rockingham, will only cost $12 with no extra or additional fees and no monthly upkeep fee. There is no appointment necessary for the clinic, simply come between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

“We want to make sure every pet that is separated from its owner can be reunited with that family,” said Tom Sharpe, vice president and CEO of AKC CAR. “It is so easy to have one’s pet micro-chipped and enrolled in our recovery database, it would be heartbreaking to let that be the one thing to keep a pet and its owner apart.”

At the microchip clinic, a veterinarian or vet technician will microchip your pet. The tiny, rice-sized I.D. is encoded with a unique number and implanted just under the skin in the scruff of the neck. The process is simple and only takes a few seconds, according to the AKC. The ‘chip’ can later be detected and read by a scanner used by shelters, veterinarians and other agencies.

Your pet will be enrolled. At the microchip clinic, you will be provided with an AKC CAR enrollment form at the time the chip is implanted. You will immediately fill out the form to enroll in AKC CAR’s 24-hour recovery service. This will ensure that you can be contacted when your pet is reported found. In addition, it is very important you keep the information that is saved in the database current. If you should later move or get a new telephone number, it is advised you notify AKC CAR immediately at 1-800-252-7894.

According to Humane Society Board Chair Evonne Swanson, the shelter will soon resume normal hours of operation after the microchip clinic. The building was temporarily closed to the public to undergo up-fitting and renovations to stay up to code. The need for repairs was first addressed in September, when the Humane Society board announced that the shelter would be closing due to financial difficulties and a lack of support. After collaborating with county officials, however, the shelter decided to remain open to the public after a series of updates have been made to the building.

“The majority of the renovations are complete and the county’s job is just about done,” said Swanson. “They have been working around the animals. We are currently not open to the public but after Saturday we will resume business. However, days of surrendering animals for free are over. People need to be held responsible. We have not decided how yet, as a board.”

According to Swanson, adoption fees will remain the same, but people will pay penalty fees for not spaying or neutering animals and for failing to microchip their animals.

Swanson also urges people to consider joining the Humane Society for a $25 yearly fee, which allows you to have a voice at meetings. You can send a check to P.O. Box 2064, Rockingham, marked “annual membership dues.”

“We really appreciate the community coming together and supporting us,” said Swanson. “We’ve kept a viable, healthy Humane Society operating and we did it together.”

— Staff Writer Dawn M. Kurry can be reached at 910-997-3111, ext. 15, or by email at dkurry@heartlandpublications.com.