Microchip and Dog License Clinic

Dog owners are invited to get their pooch a microchip and a 2012 dog license at a Dog Chipping Clinic set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Eddystone Borough firehouse, 1201 Saville Ave., Eddystone.

Eddystone Borough is partnering with the Delaware County Club to provide free microchips to any Delaware County dog. A small microchip, the size of a grain of rice, will be implanted in the dog, free of charge, and scanned to ensure it is working properly.

In addition, Ellen Linaweaver, the license coordinator for the Delaware County Treasurer’s Office, will be process dog license applications at the event. A dog with a microchip is eligible for a lifetime dog license for a fee of $31.45 if the dog is neutered and $51.45 for all others.

Annual dog licenses, which need to be renewed every year, are $6.45.

Terry Nuss, president of the Delaware County Kennel Club, said a microchip paired with a current dog license is the best way to ensure that a lost pet is safely and quickly returned to its owner.

The Kennel Club is donating the microchips for the event and representatives from the Kennel Club will be on hand to answer questions and provide information.

“Peace of mind is priceless for a pet owner,” Nuss said. “The Delaware County Kennel Club is very community oriented and one way we can help dog owners is by enabling them to get a microchip and license for their dog.”

When a lost dog has a current license, anyone who finds the dog can get the owner’s phone number through the county’s Return a Lost Dog feature on the county website.

By typing in the license number, the finder can access the owner’s contact information.

When a lost dog has a microchip, people who find the dog can have the chip read by a local veterinarian or humane officer to locate the owner.