Get your dog's chip registered in five steps
A chip only brings your dog home if it's registered. Here's exactly how to link the chip number to your contact details, step by step, free for life with United Pet Club.
Five steps, start to finish
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Step 1: Get the chip in
Dog not chipped yet? Book him in with the vet. Takes seconds, no sedation needed. You'll walk out with a slip showing the chip's ID number, don't lose it, you'll need it for the next bit.
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Step 2: Pick who you register with
Some chip brands run their own database, but you don't have to use it. Register a microchip with United Pet Club instead and you get a registry that takes any brand and checks against the American Animal Hospital Association's universal lookup tool.
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Step 3: Fill in the details
You'll need the chip's ID number, usually 15 digits, your dog's name, breed, age, and a photo, plus your own name, address, phone number, and email. Triple check it all before you hit submit, one wrong digit in the chip number and the whole thing's useless.
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Step 4: Check if there's a fee
Some registries charge you, once or every year, others don't charge at all. Know what you're signing up for, including whether it lapses if you don't renew.
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Step 5: Keep it current
Moved house? Changed your number? Update the registry straight away. A chip pointing at your old address isn't much better than no registration at all.
Why bothering with registration actually matters
A microchip's a tiny implant, rice-grain sized, sitting under your dog's skin between the shoulder blades. It holds an ID number a scanner reads in seconds, but on its own that number's useless, it needs a registry linking it back to you before anyone can act on it. Dogs get loose more than owners reckon, slipping the lead at the park, bolting when a storm rolls in, sneaking out while the gate's open for the removalists. A registered chip is what turns a scan at the shelter into a phone call home. A pet ID tag on the collar's handy too, quickest way for a neighbour to reach you without a scanner, but tags come off and chips don't.
Registration matters beyond just getting a lost dog home, too. Every state and territory runs its own Companion Animal Register, and council rangers check for microchipping as a matter of course. It also doubles as proof of ownership, if a dog changes hands informally, through a sale, a rescue, or a dispute, the registry shows who's linked to that dog and since when. Want more recovery tools on top, like SMS alerts or a live agent line? Compare our registration plans. No chip yet? Register your dog for free anyway and add the chip number once it's done.
What registering actually gets you
Quicker reunions
A registered chip can shrink the wait between a shelter scanning your dog and your phone ringing, days down to hours, sometimes.
Smoother travel
Plenty of countries won't let a dog in without a registered chip. Sort it early and you dodge hold ups at customs, pair it with a pet passport and the paperwork's sorted too.
A record that stands up
If ownership's ever in question, a custody dispute, a rehoming, a boarding stuff up, the registry shows who's linked to the dog and since when.
Less pressure on shelters
Every dog that gets home quick frees up a kennel and staff time for the strays who need it more.
What dog owners actually ask
What's the difference between chipping and registering?
Chipping's the physical implant, a one-off job at the vet. Registering's separate, it's linking that chip's ID number to your name and contact details in a database. A dog can be chipped and still unregistered, in which case the chip's not going to lead anyone anywhere.
Can I register the same chip in more than one database?
Yeah, you can. Spreading it across a few databases widens your chances, since not every shelter checks every registry. Registries plugged into the AAHA lookup, United Pet Club included, cut down how much that matters.
I adopted a dog that's already chipped. How do I put it in my name?
Get onto whoever holds that registration and ask for a transfer, your adoption paperwork should back it up. Or just register fresh with United Pet Club, a newer registration wins out over an old one.
Do I need to renew the registration every year?
Depends who you're registered with. Some want annual renewal, some don't. United Pet Club's is free for your dog's whole life, no renewal needed at all.
What happens exactly when the shelter scans my dog?
The scanner shows the chip's ID number and which registry it sits in. Staff look that up, find your details, and ring or email you direct.
How do I actually register my dog's microchip here?
Register free with United Pet Club, set up an account, punch in the 15-digit chip number, add your details. Works with whatever brand your vet used. Every state and territory Companion Animal Register, the NSW one included, requires dogs to be chipped, so a current registration on file also keeps you square with the law.
Get it sorted today
Linking your dog's chip to your details only takes a few minutes. Do it now, before you need it. Got questions? Contact us any time.