March 12, 2009

Pet owners have an affordable way to protect their furry companions from getting lost

With this tough economy, the Arizona Humane Society is taking $5 off the regular cost of microchipping, making its already low-cost service just $25 during March. Not only will pet owners save themselves money, but also heartache over a lost pet.

Microchips act like a permanent identification tag and help reunite owners with their lost pets. About the size of a grain of rice, the microchips are implanted just underneath the skin between the pet's shoulder blades. It is just like a pet receiving a vaccination – quick and painless. The microchip has a unique identification number that will be registered in the pet owner’s name. Registration is included in the fee. If a pet should ever become lost and end up at an animal shelter, the pet will be scanned for a microchip and reunited with its family.

"It makes sense to microchip your pet because if the animal’s collar should slip off, he still has a way to find his family again," says AHS spokeswoman Ashliegh Goebel.

The Arizona Humane Society's public clinics not only provide affordable microchipping services, but also spay/neuter services, vaccinations, flea and tick treatments, canine heartworm testing and prevention and feline leukemia testing and de worming at prices everyone can afford.

The Marge Wright Clinic is accredited by the American Hospital Association. Dr. Nancy Bradley, AHS director of medical services, said that "we have a one to six ratio of doctors to technicians, providing quality care for every single animal treated in our hospital."

Anyone can visit the Marge Wright Low-Cost Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic at 1311 West Hatcher Road, in Phoenix for services on Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.



About Arizona Humane Society
Founded in 1957, the Arizona Humane Society is the state’s largest nonprofit animal welfare and protection agency. The mission of AHS is to improve the lives of animals, alleviate their suffering, and elevate their status in society.

Contacts
Ashleigh Goebel, Public Information Officer, Arizona Humane Society
(602) 997-7586, ext. 1020; cell: (602) 359-7997

Steve Carr, The Kur Carr Group, Inc., (602) 317-3040 (cell)