How to Transfer a Pet’s Microchip Registration to a Different Owner
Transferring a Pet’s Microchip Registration to a New Owner
As we all know, pets can change ownership more than once during their lifetime. Changing household circumstances can be an inevitable part of life, and pets might need to be re-homed for a variety of reasons. When a change in pet ownership occurs, one frequently asked question is what should I do about their microchip registration?
Understanding How a Microchip Works
First, it’s important to clarify how a microchip works. When a microchip is implanted in your pet, the chip comes with a unique identification number that will remain associated with the pet for eternity, similar to a social security number that is assigned to humans in the U.S.
The microchip can be scanned, and the number detected, by any universal scanner at a vet’s office or animal shelter. The number is then associated with the information you have provided on the microchip registry such as pet’s name, age, sex, date of birth and medical information, along with your contact information, such as an address and phone numbers.
When you rehome your pet, you will need to transfer the pet’s microchip registration to the new owner, so that the microchip number becomes associated with the correct individual. If your pet is registered at 24Petwatch, you can follow the steps below to transfer a pet’s microchip registration to a new owner:
- To transfer ownership of a pet that is currently registered to you, login to your account.
- Then click on “Transfer” underneath the pet’s name.
- The system will walk you through the steps of transferring the pet to a new owner’s account.
- The new owner will receive an email, text and phone call to accept or reject this transfer.
- The new pet owner has 7 days to accept or reject this transfer. After 7 days, we will complete the transfer.
- Once the pet is transferred, it will no longer appear in your account.
What If My Pet is Registered in Another Registry?
If your pet is registered with another registry, such as AVID or HomeAgain, you (or the new owner) will need to contact that registry directly to request for them to update the microchip registration in their database.
Michelson Found Animals sold the Found.org microchip registry to Pethealth in 2021. If your pets were registered on Found.org prior to the registry being sold, please visit 24PetWatch’s microchip registry to access your free account.
