By By NIKIE MAYO, News Editor
The next time a hurricane roars through the region, Fido needs a port in the storm — and his own Social Security Number.
Those are the messages the Humane Society of Beaufort County wants to get across during two events planned for this week. On Thursday, the Humane Society will sponsor a program on having disaster plans for pets. And on Saturday, the organization will sponsor a microchipping clinic to tag pets, so if they’re lost they can find their way home.
On Thursday, a speaker from United Animal Nations’ Emergency Animal Rescue Service will speak teach pet owners how to prepare disaster plans that include the family feline or canine. Cora Tyson will present that program at 7 p.m. at the Betsy Bailey Nelson Animal Control Facility in Washington.
Tyson will tell pet owners how to make plans for their animals and what to include in a disaster kit for a pet. She’ll also talk about the importance of taking pets’ medical records and current photos of them if a family has to evacuate.
If a pet is separated from its owner during an emergency — or just because it wandered away — a microchip could help reunite the companions, she said.
About the size of a grain of rice, a microchip can be implanted in the fleshy area near an animal’s shoulder blades. The implant is done quickly and is injected just like a shot, Donald said. The chip is assigned a number that is put into a worldwide database. The number matches information that includes the pet’s name and its owner, along with a contact telephone number.
Most veterinarians’ offices and animal shelters, including all those in Beaufort County, have the capability to scan pets.
The chip will $20 at Saturday’s clinic. Rabies shots are also available that day for $5. The clinic will also be held at the animal shelter on 3931 U.S. Highway 264 East in Washington. It runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.