Micro-chipping your pet is like putting a permanent collar on your pet. The procedure involves placing a small chip the size of a grain of rice inside your dog. According to The Pet Medic, microchips are commonly placed between the shoulder blades by a vet or someone who works at an animal shelter. This is a minor procedure that is painless to the animal. This small chip contains a unique number that corresponds to a number in a national database which has your stored contact information. If an animal runs away and is later found, it can be scanned with a hand-held device by a shelter, dog catcher or veterinary clinic to locate the chip and eventually locate you.
Instructions
How to Find a Chipped Animal
Call your veterinary office to report your missing animal. Dog's Owner's Guide says many lost animals are taken to veterinary clinics to be scanned for a microchip.
Call the local animal control center where runaway dogs are taken and give them a description of your pet.
Have them scan all animals matching your description to see if there's a microchip. According to Colorado Animal Rescue, if your pet ends up in a shelter, a microchip could save its life because most dog pounds do not euthanize an animal if it is chipped.
Update your contact information. You vet can update the microchip database if you're out of town or have moved.