Albuquerque offers free pet microchipping at shelters through July 3

Summer travel, fireworks and busier schedules can make it easier for a dog or cat to slip away, and Albuquerque is leaning on a small tool with outsized consequences: a free microchip. Through July 3, the city’s Animal Welfare Department is offering microchipping for dogs and cats at both the Westside Animal Welfare Shelter and the Eastside Animal Welfare Shelter, with officials saying the service can speed lost pets back home and help keep animals out of shelters longer than necessary.

The campaign, called It’s Hip to Microchip, runs daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. No appointment is needed. Pet owners must be at least 18 years old and bring a valid ID, because the chip is registered to the person who brings the animal in. Under normal conditions, the city charges $15 per pet for microchipping, but the service is free year-round for seniors 65 and older and for qualified low-income residents.

City officials describe the chip as about the size of a grain of rice, carrying a unique serial number that scanners can match to contact information in a database. That matters because a lost pet may be found not only at a shelter, but also at a veterinary office, a fire station, a police substation or another location with scanning equipment. The city says keeping the phone number and other contact details tied to the chip up to date is essential, since an outdated record cannot help bring an animal home.

The city is also relying on its Reunite microchipping scanner network, which now includes 36 locations across Albuquerque. The network stretches through fire stations, Albuquerque Police Department substations and local businesses, giving more places where a found animal can be checked quickly and identified before it is moved deeper into the shelter system.

Mayor Tim Keller has framed the effort as part of a broader push to protect pets and families, while Animal Welfare Director Carolyn Ortega has emphasized that a microchip paired with an ID tag gives an animal its best chance of being reunited. Albuquerque has used similar seasonal outreach before, including a June 2024 microchipping and custom pet tag campaign and a February 2025 Check the Chip effort focused on updating microchip information. The latest drive again puts a practical service in front of residents just as summer raises the risk of lost pets.