Dogs n' Chips

I've had all my dogs microchipped for some time now...

While I don't know if it would help if we got seperated, my feeling is that it certainly couldn't hurt.
But, my wife works in a Veterinary office. They do not routinely scan for chips, as I think they should. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some dogs from the areas hard hit made it North, and into the practice where my wife works. The dog's were put out for adoption without scanning for microchips. My wife mentioned scanning, and some dogs were subsequently scanned, and a few found to be chipped. But, I believe that no attempt was made to contact the owner(s).
After placing a call to my local municipal shelter, they will neither confirm nor deny whether they scan for chips or not. Hmmmm, sounds like a world power not willing to disclose the presence of nuclear weapons.

Microchipping is inexpensive, and I still consider it money well spent on the odd chance that it reunite myself with a lost dog, but, I still tend to question it's effectiveness.
It could be a great tool if folks would routinely scan for them.. Let's hope that happens as they become more and more prevalent...