image description — Berkshire Humane Society's shelter manager Cheryl Truskowski shows how she checks for a microchip on a pet; inset, the size of the chip.

Shutdown of Pet Microchip Company Could Affect Lost Pets

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
12:30PM / Sunday, February 23, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Texas-based microchip company, Save This Life, has recently shut down without any notice to its users or a reason why.

The American Animal Hospital Association recently notified customers that they have taken Save This Life off its Microchip Registry Lookup, a tool to search what company a pet's microchip is linked to, after many attempts to contact and find out what was going on at the company.

Staff at Berkshire Humane Society told us how much this could impact people if their pet gets out and is not registered.

"If it's Save This Life, then if your dog or cat gets lost, there's no way of reaching you so you have to register with a different company," said shelter manager Cheryl Truskowski.

According to AAHA, if your pet's microchip starts with 991 or 900164 you may need to register your pet again. If you are unsure where your pet's microchip is registered, Berkshire Humane Society says you can come by and have it checked.

"If they don't know if they have a microchip that's based to [Save This Life], I'd be more than happy to scan their dog or cat and give them the number and I can look it up for them and find out where it's registered to," she said.

Truskowski said some pet owners don't realize their pets are not properly registered.

"The drawbacks of microchips -- their great, I love them, they work -- but when they are not registered to the owner it's extremely frustrating because now I have a dead end," she said. "That's the drawbacks of the microchips people don't update their registration or they don't register it in the first place."

It's important for you to always check to make sure your pet's microchip is up to date on contact information to reunite you with your pet if they go missing.

BuddyID is offering a free registration until Feb. 28 if your pets were affected by this shut down.

If you find that your pet's microchip needs to be changed make sure you reach out to a company to get it changed as soon as you can.

Tags: microchips, pets,

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

12:05PM / Wednesday, December 24, 2025

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.

This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.

The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.

DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.

"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths.

"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."

Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.

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