Microchip Tracks Down Dog's Original Guardian

by Patricia Collier

Brownie was given away a year ago. His second guardian gave him away again. The third guardian lost the 35-pound dog of mixed origins at a truck stop.

Earlier this month, Brownie was reunited with his original guardians.

No one knows how Brownie ended up on a train, but he was found on the Metro-North commuter from Greenwich, Conn. to Harlem on Christmas Eve.

Nicknamed "Metro", he was then taken to the Greenwich Animal Control Center where his original guardians were identified by a small microchip in his neck.

Brownie's original family was contacted and they agreed to pick him up. But an unexpected death in the family delayed the reunion, so the Daily News stepped in to help with the 6 1/2 hour trip.

The newspaper got the family to the Harlem shelter by train and escorted them and Brownie on the long journey home.

Micro-chipping is an important tool designed to enhance a guardian's chances of finding a lost pet. A permanent identification is provided by a tiny microchip - about the size of a grain of rice - that is easily implanted in the loose skin between the dog or cat's shoulders.

The chip is programmed with a unique, unalterable code that can be identified with a hand-held scanner, similar to the scanners seen in grocery stores.

Scanners are being used in many veterinary clinics and animal shelters across the country. When a lost pet is brought to one of these locations, the code is retrieved and called in to the database, where the pet guardian's information is kept.

The information is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, through a toll free number.

For dogs like Brownie, a simple microchip can be a ticket home.

© 2004 Animal News Center, Inc.