Hello, and happy Sunday. Welcome to another Williston Animal Group education topic. If you browse through the archives you will find other topics worth reading. It is part of our mission statement to have educational topics related to dogs specifically, but all pets in general.
First off, Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We rescue dogs from local shelters. We do not take strays or owner-surrenders. In the Spring of this year WAG, decided we would start a new committee to help address issues that pet owners in our communities are experiencing. This committee is called WAG Gives Back. The sole purpose is to help keep dogs in loving homes.
We hold a monthly dog food giveaway and have done 5 so far. If you live in the area follow our Facebook page to see when I post the signup information each month. We have helped 6 families get their dogs spayed or neutered. One of the things I have been working on, as the Chairwoman for WAG Gives Back, is a free microchipping event. It took a while but we were finally ready for a trial run and had it all set. Then along comes an ugly thing called Hurricane Ian, and we had to cancel. Ian did not affect our area that much, and our hearts go out to the southwest region of Florida, which was completely devastated. I now am working on putting it all back together again on a new date.
With all of that said, why is it important to have your pet microchipped? Dogs, cats, and I believe rabbits and ferrets can be microchipped. Having your pet microchipped is not required by law in Florida, though some of us think it should be. It would be super easy to just have it done when you have your annual vet checkup or even better when your pet is spayed or neutered. However, don’t assume that your pet is automatically microchipped at the time of spay/neuter because it might not be without you requesting it to be done.
You will see a few videos below on the topic of microchipping. They are all short and worth your time to view them. Having your pet microchipped is easy, fairly affordable, and pretty much the same as your pet getting a vaccine. There is very low risk, though nothing is risk-free. In Florida, a vet has to be on the premises when a microchip is inserted. But, the most important reason to have your pet microchipped is that if your dog gets lost for any reason the microchip can be scanned by any vet, animal control officer, shelter, or rescue, and then your pet can be reunited with you. It is very important once your pet is microchipped that you register the chip to you, the owner, with a backup person that can reclaim your pet if you are unavailable to do so. If you move, and or your phone number changes be sure to update the information on the website that is provided to you when the chip is inserted. The same is true for your backup person’s information. Much like with your children, think of the microchip information as emergency contact #1 and emergency contact #2. There are laws in Florida that state all animal control agencies, shelters, and vets scan all strays, and found pets for a microchip before the animal is put up for adoption or worse euthanized. We have an agreement with the city of Williston, Florida that some stray dogs will be brought to our kennels for a 3-day hold. We scan these dogs to be sure a microchip is not present before the hold begins. If you find a lost, abandoned, or stray pet takes it to a vet, or animal control, asap to have it scanned for a chip. Never assume just because a pet is loose that the pet is a stray or doesn’t have a home. Dogs are clever escape artists sometimes, as you may know, if you are a dog owner. In Florida, pets are property and you can not just keep them, or give them away just because you found them. If you have any questions about having your pet microchipped leave me a comment, or email us at info@willistonanimalgroup.com
We are paying for our microchip even out of our budget, and if you would like to help WAG continue to grow, save more dogs, and assist the community, you can donate to us. Our Paypal address is willistonanimalgroup@gmail.com, if you follow us on Facebook I post a monthly fundraiser, or you can use the QR code image shown below. That QR code will take you to our new option for donations and you can make it a monthly donation each month if you want.
We have lots of great dogs right now available for adoption. You can see them at Petfinder.com Our adoption fee is 100 dollars and they come with all of their shots, flea and heartworm prevention, and spay/neuter. Some of our dogs have had professional dog training, and our dog trainer is willing to work will all adopters to make the transition easier for any of our dogs.
Sign up for our newsletter! I send one either monthly or bi-monthly depending on what is going on.
Let me know how you like the new color scheme and header image. That image was taken by one of our volunteers while walking dogs in the early morning. Ask about volunteering with us, and fostering.
Williston Animal Group 