Lost No More A short story of why I jumped on the bandwagon to get everyone
to microchip his or her companion animals.
   
Major’s Mission The full story of the abduction, search and recovery of Major,
a prized Leadbeater Cockatoo
 
From the Mouth of Moose A story about the rescue of a BIG wild dog that ended up as
a member of the Nike family in Oregon.
 
Marie Takes Flight A short story about a baby bird trying out her new flight feathers.
 
Journal of Shasha The story of finding a new home for a shelter dog.
 
Four Happy Endings Shelter grads go from rags to riches
 

Lost No More
 

Almost a decade ago, my pet parrot was stolen from Beaverton, Oregon leaving me frantically trying everything possible to find him. Police, phone calls, Internet, flyers, television coverage, newspaper ads, you name it - I tried it. At that time I swore that if I ever got my pet back, I would dedicate myself to finding a way to save man and beast from the kind of agony I was experiencing.
 
After six, long, expensive, miserable weeks, I was lucky enough to be reunited with my feathered friend in Colby, Kansas where his abductors were arrested for speeding in a stolen truck that was full of stolen animals. Had these people not been stopped for speeding, the animals would have gone to Florida and been sold to retail outlets, breeders or research facilities. The thieves were punished for stealing the automobile, but not the multitude of companion animals that they had ripped away from their loving homes. Through this ordeal, I also became painfully aware of the thousands of dogs, cats and birds that merely get lost and never find their way back to their homes. I knew nothing about microchips then; I know a lot about them now and each and every one of my pets is chipped.

 
Here is how it works. A microchip the size of a grain of rice is painlessly inserted into your pet. The chip contains a number that can be read with a universal scanner used by all shelters and many veterinary clinics. Now, what needs to happen is for the United States to pass a chip law similar to the one passed in Australia. AUSSIES RULE! In July 1999, Australia· enacted the New Dog Act, which calls for micro chipping of all new puppies, kittens, cats, or dogs sold or given away.
 
Once we have that accomplished, our country's animal lovers need to band together and get rid of useless dog licenses and register animals the same as we do automobiles. We need the ability to report lost animals and offer a reward for their return without visiting every shelter, putting ads in newspapers, bulletin boards, and flyers on power poles and listings on numerous web sites. We need one resource for posting the lost notice so that workers from all shelters, veterinary clinics, pet stores, and also grooming and supply clerks would take the trouble to scan all unknown animals in hopes of finding one that is listed as lost, and then to receive a reward for their effort.

This just makes so much sense it is hard to believe Americans have left it undone. The first step is to get your animals chipped, second is to establish a better registration system than what exists today. Please make your appointment to microchip your pet with your veterinarian. Please direct questions or comments to lindi@lindibiggi.com
 
Why Microchip?

  • Lost pets can be quickly and easily reunited with owners by a quick chip scan.
  • Animals meeting their demise on streets & highway can be easily identified and
    their owner scan be quickly notified.
  • Stealing of pets would virtually be eliminated.
  • Got bitten? Health records could be kept on database.
  • Instant identification of ownership of dumped and abused animals