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Animal Control Officer Stacy Rameor said that last year was the first year the program was offered -- and it was a huge success.
"We got a tremendous response. We were really busy," she said with a laugh about last year's event. "We may have had about 70 (animals)."
The vast majority of pets that receive chips are dogs, although she said there were a few cats last year.
The microchips are inserted by a needle in an area between the shoulder blades and is similar to getting a vaccine shot for the animal. When a stray dog is brought to a shelter or picked up by an animal control officer, a scanner will pick up the information that's in the microchip and help to locate the owner.
Sometimes, unfortunately, an owner has a microchip placed in their pet but fail to register with the company that sells the chip, Rameor said. That means the information cannot be accessed.
According to the website petfinder.com, all pets should have a collar with tags imprinted with the name of the owner, but only microchips provides permanent ID that cannot fall off, be removed or become impossible to read.
The microchips are not tracking devices, but can identify a pet when found.
The fee for the event is $10, much less than what would be charged elsewhere, Rameor said. All pets must be healthy to receive a microchip. Cats must be in carriers and dogs on leashes.
Payment is via cash or check only, she said. The shelter is located at 393 North St. in Greenwich.
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