24Pet® to 'Chip in' To Help Lost Chicago Area Pets Reunite With Their Families

24Pet To Host Free Microchipping Event on June 24

CHICAGO, June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A leader in lost and found pet recovery, 24Pet announced it would host "Chip in"—a dog and cat microchipping event in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs on June 24. In line with 24Pet's mission to bring pet families together and keep them together, 24Pet is partnering with ten shelters across multiple locations to provide free microchipping services to the local community ahead of the Fourth of July, when over 3,000 pets commonly go missing, each year during the holiday.

Illinois sees one of the most significant spikes in missing pets on the Fourth of July, with at least a 600% spike in call volume to 24Pet, in prior years. Microchips are the only permanent lost pet recovery device and help to identify lost and found animals and provide shelters, veterinarians, or other organizations with a way to contact the owner. Microchipped dogs are twice as likely to make their way home, and cats are ten times as likely.¹ With only 20-30% of dogs and cats microchipped across the US², "Chip in" aims to get more pets microchipped, helping to reunite beloved pets back with their families faster.

"When we looked at our data and saw that thousands of pets go missing around the Fourth of July, we knew we had to do something to ensure pets are getting out of shelters and back to their homes as quickly as possible," said Nicole Bennett, 24Pet Lead and President of Ecosystem for Independence Pet Group. "We're grateful to partner with organizations from the Chicagoland Humane Coalition to help provide this critical service to companion animals. We hope our efforts across the city will lead to hundreds of more pets getting microchipped and helping to reunite them with their families if they ever get lost."

Dog and cat owners in the Chicagoland area can visit the below shelters to get microchipped for free:

• South Suburban Humane Society
• Animal Care League
• DuPage County Animal Services
• Orphans of the Storm
• Chicago Animal Care & Control
• The Anti-Cruelty Society
• Heartland Animal Shelter (in partnership with Tree House Humane Society)
• Spay Illinois Pet Well Clinics
• Heartland Animal Shelter
• Evanston Animal Shelter

Those participating in the event will automatically be registered with 24Pet, the largest pet registry in North America. Pet owners can also stop by participating shelters to check if their pet is already microchipped, and can then register at 24petwatch.com, the largest registry in North America, for free. By registering with 24Pet, the pet's microchip will be connected with the company's database of over 5,000 shelters, rescues, clinics and partners in case the pet goes missing and help to bring their pet home faster.

Each shelter's operating hours will vary, and pet parents should visit www.24pet.com/chip-in to find nearby locations and their hours. Some locations may offer appointments outside of the posted hours. For those looking for their next pet, many area shelters and rescue groups will be hosting reduced fee adoption events this summer with a kick-off event on June 17th - the Lakeview East Adopt'Shop. There will be a special focus on dogs over 40 pounds as part of the Coalition's "Chicago Dog Summer" promotion, since larger dogs are having a harder time finding homes, not only in Chicagoland, but across the country.  For details about this event and more, please visit Chicagolandhumanecoalition.org.

About 24Pet®

24Pet® supports pets and pet parents throughout the pets' lives. As the leading provider of shelter management software, 24Pet affords pet parents the opportunity to discover and connect with their next cat or dog. 24Pet is also North America's largest distributor of radio frequency identification (RFID) microchips and lost pet recovery services, boasting over 30,000,000 registered pets and 625,000 lost pet reunions with families. 24Pet is a brand of Independence Pet Group, Inc.

About Independence Pet Group

Independence Pet Group® (IPG) is one of North America's largest pet insurance and services organizations. Our impressive family of brands supports insurance for more than 600,000 pets in the U.S. and Canada and provides well-being, safety, resources, and business solutions to the pet industry, including microchip identification and an online pet registry. Learn more at www.independencepetgroup.com.  

¹ https://animalfoundation.com/low-cost-vet-clinic/cat-dog-microchipping#:~:text=Microchips%20can%20provide%20your%20dog%20or%20cat%20with,enter%20an%20animal%20shelter%20and%20are%20not%20microchipped.
² Based on 24Pet data

SOURCE Independence Pet Group Inc.