By: Elexis Bates

A national pet recovery company, Save This Life, based in Austin, Texas, closed unexpectedly in February of 2025. The company, known for pet identification and safety, cited financial difficulties as the primary reason for the closure.

Save This Life offered microchip services designed to help reunite lost pets with their owners. However, with their closing, microchips previously implanted by Save This Life are now rendered useless. While the chips are still in place, there is no way for pet owners to trace them. This has led customers to face uncertainty as no reimbursements or alternative solutions have been offered. 

Microchip companies play a crucial role in returning lost pets to their owners, providing chips holding pet owners’ personal information so their pet(s) can be traced back to their homes. Pet owners affected by the closure are encouraged to contact their veterinarian to determine if they need to re-register their microchip with another registry.

For pet owners in the Clay County Community, microchip resources are available at Clay Veterinary Clinic and Court Street Veterinary Care. Dr. Amy Deneke, CVC Veterinarian, says pet owners should remember to update their personal information with the microchip company to be sure they can be reached should their pet become unaccounted for.

“It is crucial for owners to update their contact information when changes occur, such as a new address or phone number, so they can be reached if they have a lost pet,” says Dr. Deneke.

She says Clay Vet Clinic can install microchips and register pet owners’ information into the database, Home Again, used at the Clay Vet Clinic in just one visit. Dr. Deneke explains the microchip procedure for patients at her practice. 

She says the microchip is inserted under the skin with a large gauge needle, often with a numbing anesthetic or treats to distract the animal from discomfort. Each microchip has a unique serial number that, when scanned, shows the pet owner’s information in a universal database. If a pet is found, the number is scanned, and the owner’s details are accessed—provided the information is up to date. 

“It is crucial for pet owners to update their contact information when changes occur, such as a new address or phone number, so they can be reached if they have a lost pet,” Dr. Deneke said.

She said updated information can be the difference that brings a pet back home to its family.