‘Your Pet’s Being Held Hostage’: Arizona Woman Gets Dog Microchipped. Then She Calls Customer Service And Realizes She Was ‘Scammed’

If you’re buying or adopting a dog or cat, you’ve probably been told that getting them microchipped is a necessity.

This just makes sense. If you lose your pet, you want to make sure that whoever finds them is able to track you down and bring the animal back to you. Plus, we know this system works, as there have been multiple viral stories about people being able to find pet owners thanks to microchips.

However, these microchips can also come with terms and conditions that could complicate a pet’s return. TikTok user Arii (@arii.gemini) recently revealed this discovery in a video with over 382,000 views.

Do You Need To Pay More To Make Your Pet’s Microchip Actually Work?

In her video, Arii explains that she recently got her dog microchipped. The logic behind her decision, she says, was simple.

“I love the concept that if something were to happen to my dog, at least there’s a small possibility that I’d be able to get them back somehow, some way, if somebody scans that … chip,” she details.

However, upon trying to verify the chip’s registration, she discovered that she wasn’t as protected as she thought.

“I called customer service to that microchip company today just to make sure the registration was OK, only to be told that my dog—that was registered seven years ago—if that motherf—– would have went missing in the last seven years, I wouldn’t have gotten it back,” she starts.

The reason, she explains, is the onerous fees from the microchipping company itself.

What Went Wrong With This Pet’s Microchip?

According to Arii, the company informed her that actually using the microchip involved paying a $79 annual fee. If she did not pay that fee for each animal, the microchip would not be functional.

“Apparently, if you don’t f—— pay them, what basically happens is, they scan the microchip. The microchip has a number. That veterinarian or scanner … scan[s] the microchip to try to find the owner, will contact the company that made the microchip, and that company will look up the ID number,” Arii explains. “And if they see that you didn’t f—— pay for that yearly, lifetime, whatever f—— subscription, they will not provide your information.”

“Your animal is being held hostage,” she declares.

Is This True?

According to Arii, she called her veterinarian to confirm this information. Sadly, the clinic confirmed that some pet microchipping companies can engage in this behavior.

“The veterinary assistant is like, ‘Yeah, they can do that. The microchip companies can do that. …There’s nothing stopping them from doing it,’” Arii recalls.

This leaves Arii with a strange dilemma.

“How do I know which f—— microchip companies are ethical? How do you even know? When you go to get your dog microchip[ped], do you pick a chip? Do you pick a company? What the f— is that?” she asks, exasperated.

Is This The Case For All Microchips?

Thankfully, it seems that, while some microchipping companies used to engage in behavior like this, most microchip companies do not do this.

For example, a popular microchipping company called HomeAgain advertises paid memberships. However, they will still provide information for a lost pet in their database regardless of whether someone has paid for a membership.

If one has already had their pet microchipped and is concerned about this situation, they can ask their vet to scan the microchip and verify the information.

If they find that the scan leads to a paid service, they should be able to simply register their pet’s microchip in a different database for free. This will allow them to circumvent any fees like the ones mentioned by Arii.

Commenters Hate This

In the comments section, users offered alternatives.

“I work at a vet clinic and we use PetLink. They offer a life guarantee warranty and you ONLY pay that one fee. I’ve heard of other microchip companies doing this and it’s disgusting. Capitalism at its finest,” wrote a user.

“An air tag on the dog collar would suffice for now,” suggested another.

“America is subscription fatigued,” declared a further TikToker.

BroBible reached out to Arii via Instagram and TikTok direct message.