PetScanner

PetScanner: microchip registration and scanners for UK pet owners

PetScanner operates a database for pet microchips and sells microchip scanners aimed at pet keepers, implanters, breeders, rescue organisations, local authorities and police. The service is built around the problem of lost pets: the site states that thousands of pets go missing every year and that one in eight lost dogs that remain unclaimed face being put down, which it attributes mainly to owners not updating their contact details.

Registration with PetScanner is presented as a way to keep those details current, since the company says contact information can be updated free of charge. The database is described as DEFRA compliant and ICO registered.

What pet keepers can do on the platform

The site organises its main functions around common owner needs, each with its own entry point:

• Register a new pet or transfer an existing registration.
• Update contact details on a microchip record.
• Transfer keepership when a pet changes hands.
• Check a microchip number through a lookup tool.
• Report a lost pet and receive alerts about activity on its microchip.

Beyond the basic record, PetScanner offers a paid or optional layer called PetScanner Pet Protection, which notifies the owner instantly of any activity on the pet's microchip and provides additional features.

Scanners and the shop

PetScanner sells its own microchip scanners, marketed as the world's lowest-cost option from £9.99, and provides guidance on scanning with them. The shop also covers related products. The site includes a section on scanning practice and a blog.

Services for professionals and organisations

The platform addresses several professional audiences with dedicated areas: implanters and breeders, rescuers and charities, and local authorities or police. For implanters and breeders it lists a training course, an incentives programme, a tool to find an implanter and a breeder pre-registration option. There is also a separate track for business and developer use of PetScanner.

Reputation and compliance

The site displays customer comments attributed to Facebook reviews and eBay buyers, praising the scanner's low cost, ease of setup with a phone and fast delivery, and describing cases of stray dogs and cats being returned to their owners. PetScanner states that it is DEFRA compliant and ICO registered, and notes that PetScanner Ltd and the PetScanner design are trademarks of the company, with a patent pending.