If your phone number is old, the microchip will not return a lost animal to you. A chip is not GPS; a scanner reads an identification number and matches it to the owner details in a registry. The data check is whether the phone and address in that record are current.
Why update when the phone number changes?
Updating means changing the contact line in the registry, not implanting the chip again.
Can there be more than one registry?
Yes. If the number sits in more than one system, the phone and address in each are updated separately.
Handing the record over after rehoming
If the record does not move to the new owner's contact details, a found animal goes to the old line.
Ask at a checkup whether the chip reads
Updating the phone line is not enough on its own, on the day of a loss, if the chip does not read.
A collar tag still helps
A collar tag is there for someone who has no scanner.
Test it before the animal is lost
Before a loss, have the number scanned and the phone in the registry called. A move or a new phone repeats that test.
