Check the Chip Day – August 15, 2026

Expected Check the Chip Day Deals

As Check the Chip Day approaches, pet supply retailers and veterinary clinics often roll out special promotions. Expect PetSmart and Petco to offer discounted microchipping services or free chip checks. Veterinary practices like Banfield Pet Hospital may host awareness events with reduced-cost services. Online retailers such as Chewy could feature deals on pet tracking devices or microchip registration kits. Brands like HomeAgain and AKC Reunite might provide incentives for updating contact information. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as August 15 approaches.

History of Check the Chip Day

Although microchipping pets may seems like a modern invention, it began to take form in the mid-1980s. A California-based animal microchip manufacturer called Avid Identification Systems Inc. first filed for a license for this technology in 1985. However, it wasn’t until 1989 that the first microchips were planted into our furry companions. In that same year, in the U.K., it became a permanent method of identifying and tracking lost animals. According to Mary Metzner, the director of shelter operations for Avid Inc., this technology works by activating a rice grain-sized radio frequency identification device (R.F.I.D.) with a handheld scanner. Pet microchipping quickly rose to global prominence following its introduction to the U.K.

In the 1990s, a group of microchip suppliers, veterinarians, and animal charities joined hands to form the Microchip Advisory Group (Microchip Trade Association, as called today). Around this time, the technical and compatibility issues of microchips were discussed by the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (F.E.C.A.V.A.) to control the quality and improve the standard of microchips for animals. Their plan included establishing a code of conduct for veterinarians and maintaining a high standard of excellence for their equipment and database. By 1996, the International Standards Organization (I.S.O.) introduced the I.S.O. 11784-1996 and the I.S.O. 11785-1996, which were adopted by the U.K. to ensure the safety of animals by using the latest technology.

Today, microchipped pets have a 20-fold higher return-to-owner rate than non-microchipped ones. Check the Chip Day is a good way to raise awareness about this efficient technology that ensures a pet’s safety.