What is
HomeAgain?
HomeAgain is an advanced pet identification and retrieval system. A
microchip with a unique identification code is implanted between the
shoulder blades of the pet. The pet is enrolled with the HomeAgain Pet
Recovery Service. HomeAgain maintains a national database and is
available 24-hours daily, 365 days a year. When a lost pet is found, it
can be scanned at an animal shelter or the clinic of a participating
veterinarian. The animal’s identification number is called
into HomeAgain (1-888-HOMEAGAIN), and the pet owner is notified
immediately.
Pets enrolled in the system also receive collar tags to wear
with their HomeAgain identification number and our toll-free number.
The tags alone help identify lost pets, but tags/collars can come off
easily. A microchip provides permanent identification that remains in
place.
Who
recommends HomeAgain?
A growing number of veterinarians and animal shelters throughout the
United States also recommend HomeAgain.
Is there
proof the system works?
More than 3,784,072 pets are enrolled with the HomeAgain Pet Recovery
Service. HomeAgain is responsible for reuniting more than 329,192 lost
pets with their owners.
What if a pet
is lost and HomeAgain can’t reach the owner?
HomeAgain asks anyone enrolling their pet in the program to provide
alternate contacts, which may be relatives or a veterinarian. The
HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service will call them if the owner cannot be
reached. It also is imperative that pet owners make sure their phone
numbers are kept up-to-date with HomeAgain.
How big is
the microchip?
About the size of a grain of rice. You cannot see the microchip after
it is implanted in the dog or cat.
How are pets
microchipped?
The procedure is simple and similar to administering a vaccine. The
microchip comes preloaded in a sterile applicator and is injected under
the skin between the shoulder blades.
Is
microchipping safe?
Extensive testing and long-term studies have shown the HomeAgain
microchip is safe for pets.
How much does
HomeAgain cost?
HomeAgain can be purchased directly from veterinary clinics, where the
price may vary. When you purchase HomeAgain directly through your
veterinarian, enrollment in the database costs an additional $15.00.
Assistance animals - dogs that assist the handicapped - can be
enrolled in the recovery program for free. Some shelters may offer
discounts for microchipping to people adopting shelter animals.
Why is
microchipping the preferred method of identifying pets?
All pets should wear collar tags imprinted with their name and the
phone number of their owner or veterinarian, but tags can come off.
Tattooing pets with a number - often the owner’s social
security number - is another method of identifying pets, especially
dogs. However, veterinarians and pet rescue experts say tattoos can
blur over time, making them difficult to read, and they can be altered.
It’s possible that duplicate tattoo numbers exist. A
microchip provides a permanent form of identification with a unique
number that cannot be altered.
What’s
unique about the new HomeAgain WorldScan™ reader?
The new HomeAgain WorldScan™ reader, manufactured by Digital
Angel, Inc., reads all microchips utilizing the 125 kHz and 128 kHz
radio frequencies (HomeAgain, AVID and Trovan) including those that
previously could not be read by all U.S. scanners. The HomeAgain
WorldScan reader also detects the 134.2 kHz microchips, or ISO chip,
commonly used outside of the United States and can read some Digital
Angel 134.2 kHz ISO chips. While the new scanner will not display the
number of all ISO chips, it will indicate the presence of the chip so
that steps toward a recovery can be put in place.
How can pet
owners enroll their pets with HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service?
They can contact a local veterinarian participating in the HomeAgain
system, who can implant the microchip, provide the collar tag at time
of implantation, as well as an enrollment form for the HomeAgain Pet
Recovery Service.
If adopting a new pet from an animal shelter, the shelter may
provide microchipping with HomeAgain.
For more information about HomeAgain, call 1-800-521-5767 or
contact the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service at 1-888-HOMEAGAIN
(1-866-466-3242).