Microchipping Information

PCAPS Offering Free Microchipping Through 2022

Peoria County Animal Protection Services is offering FREE pet microchipping through 2022 thanks to a generous grant from the Sally Lorraine Sedlak Vaughan Irrevocable Charitable Trust. This free service is open to all pet owners.

No appointment necessary! Pet owners are welcome to stop by the shelter any time during normal operating hours, and PCAPS will implant the microchip at no charge. PCAPS shelter hours are Monday through Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (closed most holidays).

A photo ID is required to have a pet(s) microchipped.

For more information, call PCAPS at (309) 672-2440 or email us at pcaps@peoriacounty.org.

About Pet Microchipping

What is Animal Microchipping?

A microchip is a very small, safe, and unobtrusive piece of radio-frequency technology that provides identification your pet, should it become lost or stolen. The microchip is roughly the size of a grain of rice.

The microchip serves as a safe, secure, reliable, and permanent form of identification for your pet. Unlike an ID tag or collar, which can fall off or become hard to read, the microchip is permanently placed under your pet's skin between the shoulder blades. Microchip placement is no more invasive than a common vaccination.

When your pet is microchipped, or when you adopt your pet from a shelter, you are able to update the information registered to the chip--including your phone number(s), address, and email address. (Remember to do this if you have recently adopted a pet from a shelter! PCAPS automatically registers microchip information at the time of adoption, but other animal shelters may not. Also, be sure to update microchip information any time you move or change phone numbers.)

The information you register to the microchip is put in a national pet recovery database, which can be accessed by animal control agencies, some law enforcement agencies, most veterinarians, and other animal/pet-related organizations when scanned with a special microchip scanner.

Why Should I Microchip My Pet?

According to the American Kennel Club, one in three pets will become lost at some point during their lifetime. Pets with microchips are up to 20 times more likely to be reunited with their owners. If your pet goes missing or gets stolen--no matter how far from home it may be--the information you have registered to its microchip shows up in the recovery database. This allows the person/agency who found your pet to get a hold of you to reunite you with your pet.

Microchips are also useful because they can serve as proof of ownership in the event of your pet being lost or stolen.

What Kind of Information Does My Pet's Microchip Contain, and How Is That Information Found?

Microchips contain a unique identification number for your pet. When your pet is scanned for their microchip information, a small hand-held device called a transponder is waved across the pet's back to detect the chip, which is hidden beneath the surface of the skin. The device will beep once the chip is found, and your pet's unique microchip number will appear on the screen of the device.

Veterinary offices, animal shelters, animal control agencies, and some first responding agencies keep a transponder on hand to scan animals and check for microchips. If they are able to obtain your pet's microchip number with the transponder, they can then search multiple microchip registries to find the registration information associated with the microchip number.

The registration information associated with your pet's microchip number is provided by you--the pet owner! When you adopt or obtain a new pet, it is important to check that the registration information associated with the microchip is updated. This information should also be updated any time you move or change phone numbers.

Most microchip registration information can be updated by pet owners online using the microchip manufacturer's website.

If you are unsure what brand of microchip your pet has, or if you ever need to obtain the unique identification number of the microchip so you can update the registration information online, PCAPS can help! Just stop by the shelter to have your pet scanned.