Dog Microchip Registry Lookup

How to Find Which Registry Your Dog's Microchip Is In

A microchip only stores an ID number. Your phone number lives in a separate company's database (the registry). The U.S. has no single central database, so a chip can be registered with one company, several, or none (AVMA).

Step by step

  1. Get the chip number. Check your adoption or vet paperwork. If you can't find it, ask your vet or shelter to scan the dog. Most clinics have scanners (AVMA). Numbers are 9, 10, or 15 digits.
  2. Run it through the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup at petmicrochiplookup.org. Enter the number with no spaces or punctuation.
  3. Read the results in order. AAHA lists registries in chronological order, with the registry that has the most recent update first. Start with the first company and work down the list (AAHA).
  4. Call or log in to that registry and check that your name, phone, email, and address are current.

What the results can mean

ResultWhat it means
One registry listedContact that company to confirm or update your details.
Several registries listedCommon with chips starting "900", which may not trace to one manufacturer (AAHA). Contact each, starting with the first.
Only a manufacturer/distributor listedThe chip was probably never registered. If no registry has the chip, the tool falls back to the manufacturer or distributor (AAHA). Register it yourself.
"Failed search"A registry couldn't be checked right then. Try again later (AAHA).

What the tool will not do

AAHA's tool doesn't show owner information, and you can't update a registration through it. AAHA doesn't run any registry and can't help with microchip problems; you have to contact the registry (AAHA).

Never registered? Free option

FreePetChipRegistry.com (listed by AAHA as 911PetChip/Free Pet Chip Registry) says it accepts any brand of chip and charges no registration, maintenance, or update fees. Several other registries are listed on AAHA's participating-registry list. Check each company's fees and terms before you sign up.

The AVMA recommends asking your vet to scan the chip at least once a year to make sure it still reads. August 15 is "Check the Chip Day" (AVMA).

See also: How to update your contact info ยท Save This Life chip? Re-register it

Info may be outdated. Verify with the source.

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