It’s been more than five years ago, but Brittany Cihak still remembers the heartbreak of losing her service dog, Athena. A French mastiff, the dog, who had not yet been microchipped, was stolen from her property in Springfield, Mo.
“Despite the theft making the news in Springfield, Athena was never returned,” Brittany said.
This Sunday, August 4, from 8 a.m to noon, Brittany will prevent other pet owners from facing that loss by holding a microchipping clinic at the soccer fields south of Clinton. For $20, pet owners can get their dog or cat injected with a microchip that when scanned, provides information to reunite the pet with its owner.
Microchips cannot fall off or be removed like a collar, and can be scanned and read at an animal shelter or vet office. The size of grain of rice, the microchip is inserted using a needle syringe under the skin between the neck and shoulder blades, Brittany said.
Most pets handle the injection pretty well.
“Puppies are easier than dogs, and cats are easier than dogs,” Brittany said.“I’ve never had a cat even flinch.”
Puppies must be eight weeks or older to be microchipped. Kittens must be 12 weeks or older.
Brittany grew up on a farm in Georgetown, Ill., where the family vetted their animals, so she grew up knowing how to handle large and small animals, and how to use a syringe.
She met her fiancé, Brock Richardson, a veteran who studied wildlife biology at MSU, when she was living in Springfield. They both liked to fish in Truman Lake, and in 2019, decided to move to Clinton with Brittany’s daughter.
When they moved to Clinton, Brock and Brittany visited the Missouri Department of Conservation office and learned that there is no business here that deals with wildlife control.
Brittany, who had studied business management, researched the market for a wildlife control company. So in addition to their day jobs, they started MO Critter Getter’s Wildlife Control.
“We have removed raccoons, skunks, armadillos, and even beavers, and currently have three groundhog jobs,” Brock said.
They also removed a family of foxes and relocated a possum to a spot near Truman Lake.
“We watched her swim away,” Brittany said.
They try to relocate wild animals, Brock said, over the alternative, and have set up a non-profit to establish a wildlife rehabilitation center.
They don’t deal with deer or raptors, Brock said, as these are protected by state law. They also don’t capture escaped livestock, but did recently answer a call to round up two mini-pigs who went on the lam.
It was after seeing a lot of Facebook posts from people looking for their lost pets that Brittany decided to offer the microchip clinics. Of the one in three pets lost in this country, only a small percentage without proper identification are reunited with their owners. Working with her daughter and another student, Brittany held the first microchipping clinic in May, and a second one in June.
“I like to help people and I love animals,” Brittany said. “They are like family.”
Having a pet microchipped is especially important before holidays involving fireworks, which can spook dogs. Brittany has also microchipped large animals, like horses, sheep and goats, but said it takes a larger syringe and is harder to insert the chip because the neck muscles are tougher. Her mother has a champion Friesian stallion, who stands at 16.2 hands and weighs 1,500 pounds, and has his own Facebook page (Dedrick the Magnificent at Cashmere Friesians). Valued at $80,000, Dedrick has offspring that win prizes all over the world, Brittany said. Friesians are a breed of horse originated in a province of the Netherlands, and were used as medieval war horses.
In 2023, Dedrick was stolen from his pen from a farm in Springfield by a young woman with help from her father. His fame and the microchip led to the horse being traced and identified.
“He was returned within eight hours,” Brittany said.
In addition to holding the microchip clinics, MO Critter Getters sponsors Clinton Parks and Rec sports teams, and supports the Clinton animal shelter and programs that offer fishing and hunting trips for veterans. Brittany and Brock are currently selling raffle tickets to raise money for their community causes, and will be selling tickets at the Microchip clinic. Everharts Outdoors has donated the raffle prize, a Savage .243 110 Hunter Elite.
“We like to give back, and to help people,” Brittany said.
Brittany’s daughter is in ROTC and plans to join the U.S. Navy after graduation. Brittany would have served in the military, but a few days before she was supposed to report for duty, was in a serious car accident. As a result she developed social anxiety, especially when she was in a crowd. Having a service dog helped her cope.
“She was able to calm me down,” Brittany said of Athena. “I needed a big dog.”
Brittany said she no longer suffers panic attacks. When she was growing up in Illinois, her family raised St. Bernard show dogs. Her Clinton family now raises Dalmatians and Maine Coon cats.
Raffle tickets are for sale at McCullough Tire in Coal, Mo., and Lincoln Producers Exchange Feed Mill. The drawing is set for Sept. 15. For more information about MO Critter Getter’s Wildlife Control, call 417-315-2745.
Brittany does not accept checks for microchipping, but does take credit or debit cards, Venmo and cash. Dogs that don’t like shots should be muzzled.
To reach the south soccer fields in Clinton, go south on Second to Calvird, turn right onto West Calvird and go down to the parking lot next to the soccer fields, inside the curve between Calvird and Hormeyer Street, and look for the blue tent.
