On Saturday, May 11, 2019, AZPetVet teamed up with the LovePup Foundation to help celebrate the one-year anniversary of their Hip to Chip program! While collars and tags for your pet are critically important, a microchip can help provide identification should collars or tags come off; so this program works to ensure that all dogs from Maricopa County Animal Care and Control (MCACC) animal shelters receive a free microchip upon adoption, ultimately helping to reunite pups with their families if they accidentally get lost. In the first 12 months, the program has helped expedite these reunions, sometimes without the lost dogs even having to go to the shelter (some of the animal control officers have been able to scan and return home in the neighborhood right away!)
As part of the anniversary celebration event, AZPetVet provided free microchips to owners who already have pups that didn’t yet have a chip. We setup three different temporary exam tables to help manage the consistent flow of folks bringing their pups (and a couple of cats!) to the event, and our incredible team of doctors and technicians were on hand obtaining vitals, administering microchips, and providing some wonderful TLC to all the pets coming through. Once chipped and registered, owners and pets had the opportunity to swing by our AZPetVet table where additional team members handed out some fun swag, provided some extra belly rubs for those loveable pups, and pet parents could chat with our CEO, Dr. Anderson. In just the three hours of the event, in total we provided 117 pets with microchips!
We received nothing but great feedback from our partners, volunteers, and all of the members of the public who got to come and enjoy the event with their dogs. Every person and family who provided feedback to us and the LovePup crew was so grateful to receive the free microchip for their beloved pets, as well as the swag, food, treats, water, leashes and collars from all the on-site event partners – LovePup, AZPetVet, Safeway, Lerner & Rowe, Max & Neo, and MCACC.
We all know that giving back comes in many forms; everything from individual small acts of kindness to larger donations or gestures by a team can create positive impact throughout both our workplaces and our community at large. At AZPetVet, we are honored to have incredible team members throughout or family of hospitals who embrace our core values including respect for others, and share a dedication to helping pets in need.