Quick answer: to check if your pet’s microchip is registered, enter the chip number into the free AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup. It searches most major registries at once and tells you which registry (if any) holds your pet’s record, plus when that record was last updated. If it comes back empty, your chip is essentially a serial number with no name attached — and you’ll want to fix that today.
Don’t know your pet’s chip number? Any veterinarian, and most animal shelters, will scan your pet for free in about thirty seconds. The number is also often printed on adoption paperwork, vet records, or the sticker sheet that came with the implant. Once you have it, the whole check takes about five minutes — which is exactly why the AVMA and AAHA picked one day a year, August 15, to remind everyone to do it.
Why August 15 Is “Check the Chip Day”
Every August 15, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association mark National Check the Chip Day — a nudge to do the one piece of pet-safety maintenance almost everyone forgets. Their recommendation is simple: have the chip scanned at your pet’s annual wellness exam, and verify the registration info once a year.
The timing isn’t random. Late summer is peak season for lost pets — thunderstorms, fireworks aftermath, open doors during vacations and back-to-school chaos. A chip that’s registered to a phone number you gave up two apartments ago won’t help the shelter that scans your dog in September.
The 5-Minute Check, Step by Step
Step 1: Find the microchip number
Check your adoption contract, vaccination records, or your vet’s patient portal — the 9-, 10-, or 15-digit number is usually there. No luck? Ask your vet or local shelter for a quick courtesy scan. While they’re at it, they’ll confirm the chip hasn’t migrated and still reads properly.
Step 2: Run it through the universal lookup
Type the number into the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup. It won’t show your personal details (that’s by design), but it will show which registry has the chip enrolled and the date the record was last updated. No registry listed? The chip was never registered — go to the manufacturer’s website and register it now, or use a free registry.
Step 3: Log in and check every field
Go to the registry that holds your record and verify all of it: cell number, backup contact, email, address. Add a second emergency contact if the registry allows one — a partner, parent, or friend who always answers their phone.
Step 4: Put next year’s check on the calendar
Set a recurring reminder for every August 15. Moved, changed carriers, new email? Update the registry the same week it happens, not “eventually.” Moving is the classic trigger for stale records — and for escapes themselves: here’s why so many pets get lost during a move, and how to prevent it.
What the Research Says About Unregistered Chips
The numbers behind Check the Chip Day come largely from a landmark Ohio State University study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, which followed 7,704 microchipped animals entering 53 shelters across 23 states.
The good news: microchips work. Shelters located owners for 72.7% of microchipped strays, and chipped dogs went home at roughly two and a half times the rate of unchipped dogs — for cats, the return rate was about twenty times higher.
The sobering part is why the other 27% of owners were never found: 35.4% of the time the phone number in the registry was wrong or disconnected, 24.3% of owners simply never responded, 9.8% of chips had never been registered at all, and another 17.2% were registered in a different database than the one the shelter checked first. In other words, the chip almost never fails — the paperwork does. We dug into this in more detail in When Microchip Registries Fail. For the bigger picture — how many pets go missing each year and what actually gets them home — see our Lost Pet Statistics 2026 roundup.
The Gap a Microchip Can’t Close
Here’s the honest limitation: a microchip only works if your pet ends up somewhere with a scanner — a shelter or a vet’s office. The neighbor who finds your dog trotting down the sidewalk can’t read a chip. That’s why vets recommend both a chip and a visible ID tag, a pairing we compare in Microchip vs. Smart Tag: Do You Need Both?
It’s also where a smart tag fixes the exact failure mode the research found. With an NFC smart pet ID tag from Shiloh’s House, anyone who finds your pet just taps the tag with their phone — no scanner, no registry, no app required on their end. And because your pet’s profile lives in the free Lohji™ app, updating your phone number takes seconds and applies instantly. No engraving to redo, no registry paperwork, no “last updated 2019” record quietly going stale. Your chip is the backup; the tag is the front line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a fee to register or update a microchip?
Registration policies vary by registry — some are free for life, some charge a one-time fee, and a few charge for updates or “premium” services. Several reputable registries accept any brand of chip at no cost, so you never have to leave a chip unregistered over price.
Can I check a microchip without knowing the number?
Not online — you need the number first. But getting it is easy: any vet clinic or shelter will scan your pet for free, usually while you wait.
Do microchips have GPS? Can I track my pet with one?
No. A microchip is a passive ID — the size of a grain of rice, no battery, no signal. It only reveals its number when a handheld scanner passes over it. If you want live location, that’s a separate device, and it still doesn’t replace visible ID.
How often should I check the registration?
At least once a year (August 15 makes it easy to remember), plus immediately after any move, phone number change, or change in ownership.
Get Your Tag
Give your pet a safety net that actually brings them home — a personalized NFC smart pet ID tag paired with the free Lohji™ app.
