To register or transfer your Boerboel's microchip, confirm the chip number, identify the registry holding the record, and update your contact details with that registry. Then check that the change is complete. Implantation alone is not enough: the identification number needs a current contact record to help reunite a lost dog with you. AVMA: microchips and registration
Make this part of your puppy pickup or rescue handover. This guide focuses on lost-pet identification and contact records. It does not set breed-registration, appraisal or international travel requirements. The lookup instructions below use the U.S.-focused AAHA service; owners elsewhere should ask their veterinarian which registry to contact locally. AAHA: lookup FAQs
1. Confirm the number in your dog
Ask the breeder, rescue or previous owner for the microchip number and registry details. If you do not know the number, ask your veterinarian to scan your dog. The scanner reads the chip's identification number; the contact information is maintained in the associated registry. AVMA also recommends a scan during routine checkups to confirm that the chip is present and functioning. AVMA: how microchips work
Our suggested handover check is to compare the scanned number with the number on your paperwork before submitting an update. If they differ, stop and ask the veterinary team and the person handing over the dog to help reconcile them. Do not choose whichever number looks more plausible.
For a puppy, add that check to your homecoming plan. For an adopted adult, put it beside the medical records and contact details you collect through the Boerboel rescue guide.
2. Find the registry, then contact it
Enter the number into the AAHA Microchip Registry Lookup. Its instructions accept 9-, 10- or 15-digit numbers without spaces or punctuation. The result identifies companies to contact. It does not display the owner's personal details or provide an account where you can edit them.
AAHA searches participating services, rather than every possible database worldwide. It primarily serves chips distributed in the United States. A missing result therefore does not, by itself, establish that your dog has no chip. Ask your veterinarian or existing pet recovery service for help. AAHA: coverage and support
Use this table to choose your next step:
| What you find | What to do next |
|---|---|
| A registry match | Contact that registry to check the record and its update process. |
| Several possible companies | Start with the first company listed and work through the list if needed. |
| A manufacturer or seller, but no pet registration | Ask for help tracing where the chip was supplied. |
| No usable result | Recheck the number and ask your veterinarian or pet recovery service for assistance. |
The first three routes follow AAHA's lookup instructions; the last follows its support guidance. Save the registry's actual contact details in your dog's records, rather than saving only the lookup page.
3. Complete the registry's transfer process
Contact the service holding the record and ask which process applies to your situation: first registration, changing your own details, or transferring an existing record from another person. Washoe County Animal Services directs new owners to the microchip company for its transfer instructions. Washoe County: microchip transfers
Do not assume every service uses the same form. For example, PetLink's current electronic transfer process lets the registered owner initiate a transfer to the new owner's email address, followed by confirmation and payment from the new owner. Its new-owner route also requires documentation in that person's name. These are PetLink's requirements, not universal rules. PetLink: transfer of ownership
Before starting, we suggest asking the registry:
- Which person needs to initiate the transfer?
- What documents do you accept, and in whose name?
- Is there a fee for this specific change?
- How will I know the transfer is complete?
- What is the next step if the previous owner cannot respond?
Keep the adoption or sale agreement available for that conversation, but let the registry specify acceptable evidence. Save its confirmation and follow up on an unfinished request. Our practical completion check is to sign back in, where an account is available, and review the updated record rather than treating a submitted form as the finish line.
4. Check contact details and visible identification
Review the phone number, email and address held by the registry. AVMA advises updating changed contact information promptly and having a veterinarian scan the chip at least annually. A microchip is not a GPS tracker, so registration will not let you watch your dog's location on a map. AVMA: microchipping FAQs
Keep a current phone number on your dog's identification tag too. BC SPCA explains that visible tags let a finder contact you without a scanner, while a microchip provides another identification route if a collar or tag is lost. It also distinguishes municipal licensing from microchip registration. BC SPCA: pet ID and registration
If you have local animal-services records, check those separately. Washoe County, for example, describes its own local database update as well as contacting the microchip company. That example is a reason to ask your local authority what needs updating, not a rule for every reader's jurisdiction. Washoe County: local and microchip records
A handover record you can actually finish
Use this suggested worksheet to keep the task with one person until it is complete. It is an organizational aid, not a registration form or proof of ownership.
- Dog and number: dog's name, scanned number, scan date and clinic.
- Registry: service name, official website and support contact.
- Action needed: new registration, contact update or transfer.
- Responsible person: who will submit the request and who needs to respond.
- Evidence requested: the registry's document requirements and where you have saved the documents.
- Progress: date submitted, reference number and any outstanding step.
- Completion: confirmation received and contact details checked.
- Other records: collar tag and any local records checked separately.
Before closing the folder, ask one practical question: if the registry tried to contact you using the details you just checked, would it reach the right person? Record any unresolved step and a follow-up date. That gives you a concrete handover task instead of an unverified note saying only "microchipped."
