Woods Humane Society to host four free microchip clinics this month

Two clinics offered at North County location

– In honor of National Chip Your Pet Month, Woods Humane Society will host four free microchip clinics to help members of the public protect their pets. The free clinics will be held on Thursday, May 9, and May 23 from 2-4 p.m. at the Woods San Luis Obispo location and on Friday, May 10 and May 24 from 2-4 p.m. at the Woods North County location.

“Microchips are tiny, affordable, and incredibly simple, but they make an enormous difference for lost pets,” Woods CEO Emily L’Heureux says. “They can help them reunite seamlessly with their owners, keep them out of the shelter, and ultimately save their lives.”

A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted just under the skin. Each chip contains a unique code that can be easily scanned by a veterinarian or an animal shelter employee to look up the pet owner’s contact information in an online database.

The American Humane Association estimates that only 15 percent of lost dogs and 2 percent of lost cats in shelters without ID tags or microchips are reunited with their owners.

“In advance of summer adventures and Fourth of July fireworks, it is crucial that pet owners protect their pets by microchipping and making sure their microchip registration is up to date with current contact information,” says L’Heureuxv, “We hope our free clinics in May will give more pet owners access to these potentially life-saving devices.”

Microchips normally cost $20 at Woods Humane Society, but the fee has been waived for participants in the May microchip clinics thanks in part to the support of microchip company 24PetWatch.

Local pet owners can make an appointment to get their pets microchipped for free on Thursday, May 9 and 23 from 2-4 p.m. at its San Luis Obispo location, and on Friday, May 10 and May 24 from 2-4 p.m. at its Atascadero location.

For more information, visit woodshumane.org/adoptions/microchip/ or call (805) 543-9316. Woods Humane Society is located at 875 Oklahoma Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 and at 2300 Ramona Rd., Atascadero, CA 93422.