🔖 Microchip your pet and register it with the BC Pet Registry

A microchip is the most reliable form of permanent pet identification because collars and tags can fall off, but a chip stays in place for life. The...

A microchip is the most reliable form of permanent pet identification because collars and tags can fall off, but a chip stays in place for life. The BC Pet Registry, operated by the BC SPCA, is BC’s provincial pet ID database — when a lost pet reaches a vet, animal control office or shelter, staff can scan the chip and access your contact information. Dogs with a registered microchip are two to three times more likely to be returned to their owner; cats are up to twenty times more likely. All BC SPCA adoptees come microchipped and pre-registered, but many privately-acquired pets do not. Your veterinarian can chip a pet during a routine appointment for a small fee, and registration with the BC Pet Registry is straightforward online. Update your contact info every time you move or change your phone number; an unregistered chip is just an inert grain of rice. Alberta does not have a single provincial registry, but Pet Lynx and Buddy ID are widely accepted national equivalents and your vet will register the chip for you. In the US, register the chip with the chip-maker’s database or a service like the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup, and keep your contact details current there.

Source: BC SPCA — Pet ID Registration

Last reviewed 2026-05-02.

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