How does a microchip help identify my pet? | Does my pet's microchip have GPS?

A microchip is not a GPS device — it cannot track your pet's location. It is a permanent, tamper-proof form of identification the size of a grain of rice, implanted under your pet's skin.

Here is how it works when a lost pet is found:

A vet, shelter, or animal control officer scans your pet and retrieves a unique microchip number.
The finder looks up that number at petmicrochiplookup.org, which identifies which database the chip is registered with.
PetLink is notified and contacts you by email, text, and phone to coordinate the reunion.

The scanner only returns the chip number — not your name, address, or contact details. Your PetLink registration is what connects the chip number to you. If your contact information is out of date, we cannot reach you when your pet is found.

If your pet is missing right now, ask here and I'll walk you through the full recovery steps.