Kendall County now offering free microchipping for dogs and cats

YORKVILLE – Microchips embedded in dogs and cats are one of the surest ways of returning a lost animal to a worried pet owner.

Kendall County Animal Control offers a new service to implant a microchip in any dog or cat for all county residents free of charge.

About the size and shape of a grain of rice, the microchip is inserted under the skin in the animal’s shoulder using a syringe.

“When we chip them we will have the number in our computer system and can look them up in our database,” Kendall County Animal Control Director Kelly Prestegaard said.

Using a reader device that looks like a wand attached by a cable to a small box, the microchip is easily scanned for the identification number.

“It’s enough to get a pet back home,” Prestegaard said.

Animal Control already implants a microchip in every dog and cat that come into its kennels.

Many residents have microchipped their dogs or cats at a local veterinarian for a cost of about $50.

Prestegaard is hoping that the free service will encourage more people to get the microchips implanted in their pets.

“This is new for Kendall County,” Prestegaard said.

Residents seeking to have a microchip implanted in their pets should call 630-553-9256 to make an appointment at Animal Control’s office at 802 W. John St. in Yorkville.