To celebrate National Chip Your Pet Month, the following story from the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) will illustrate the importance of having pets microchipped.

Four-year-old Tigger snuck out of his Stoughton, Massachusetts, home on Dec. 23, 2018, to explore the outdoors. Perhaps spooked by his surroundings, Tigger ran when his owners tried to get him back inside and, unfortunately, did not return.

In the following days and weeks, Tigger’s family posted the cat’s picture on social media and posted flyers in their neighborhood and nearby businesses – but still Tigger was not found.

On Feb. 10, a local resident brought a stray cat to ARL’s Dedham Animal Care and Adoption Center. The cat was emaciated, dehydrated and had suffered from frostbite on its left ear and front paw due to long-term exposure to the elements.

The cat received fluids and was checked by ARL staff and was also scanned for a microchip. The chip was registered to a Florida resident; however, after a little detective work, ARL tracked the owner from Florida to Stoughton.

A certification letter was sent to the Stoughton address. Owner Jackie Rhone told ARL that the cat was originally a gift for her 17-year-old daughter. After two months, she had given up any hope of finding Tigger.

“That evening (Valentine’s Day), we went out for an errand, and when we returned home, my husband checked the mail,” Jackie said. “When he came inside, he screamed, ‘Read this, Jackie, quick!’ I started reading it out loud with tears rolling down my face and said, ‘They found our Tigger!'”

Tigger was reunited with his family two days later and is now strictly an indoor cat.

This reunion would not have been possible if Tigger hadn’t been microchipped.

A microchip is a computer chip about the size of a grain of rice, programmed with an identification number unique to your pet. It is nontoxic, nonallergenic and will last the life of your pet with no maintenance required.

A microchip greatly increases the likelihood of being reunited with a lost pet – an American Veterinary Medical Association study shows 52% of dogs with microchips are reunited with owners, versus just 21% with dogs with no microchip. Owner return rates for cats with microchips are 38% versus 1.8% for cats without the chip.

ARL recommends pet owners ensure their animal is microchipped and keep contact information up to date.

— Pets and the People Who Love Them is brought to you by your friends at the Athens-Limestone Animal Shelter. To adopt your best friend, go to 1701 U.S. 72, visit the shelter’s Facebook page or call 256-771-7889.