BARC, Houston’s animal shelter and adoption center, will host three free microchipping events for Houston residents as the city will begin enforcing its new mandatory microchipping requirement this Wednesday, February 1.

This requirement was approved by the City Council in January of last year, however there was a year-long grace period allowing residents to have the time to get their furry friends chipped.

To assist local pet owners, BARC will host the first of these free microchipping events before the Wednesday deadline on Tuesday, January 31, and then host two others early next week on Monday, February 6 and Tuesday, February 7.

“With these events coinciding with the announcement that the grace period is over, we are expecting that we’ll have a pretty good turn out each of the three days,” said Cory Stottlemyer Public Information Officer and Deputy Shelter Director at BARC.

BARC has hosted free microchipping events in the past, with several dozen people turning out last year for their drive thru chipping services, said Stottlemyer.

“The microchip is the size of a grain of rice, so typically we inject the microchip in the back of the neck of the pet,” said Stottlemyer. “It is a pretty quick process, we usually do it right there where the car is parked, and most animals are usually distracted enough that they don’t even notice what is happening.”

Stottlemyer said that if it looks like an animal may need additional care during the injection, that the wellness staff or veterinarians working the event can bring the animal inside the wellness center and complete the chipping there.
Pre-registration for this event is not required, and microchipping services will be available from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. each day on a first come, first serve basis, and as supplies for the chipping last said Stottlemyer.

No vaccination documentation is required to be shown at the event, and all animals need to have a collar and a leash, but do not need to be brought in a carrier. It is recommended however, that if a pet owner has a carrier, they bring their pet in one, said Stottlemyer.

“Getting a microchip makes reuniting pets with their owners much easier,” said Stottlemyer. “With a microchip if your pet gets lost, we have the ability to use our scanners to read the chip and find its reference number and get your contact information from the database.”

When: Tuesday, January 31, Tuesday, February 6 and Wednesday February 7 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Where: BARC’s Wellness Clinic
3300 Carr Street Houston, TX 77026
More Information: BARC’s Free Microchipping Events