CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. — A first-of-its-kind microchip station is helping lost and found furry friends reunite with their owners.
“And what we're seeing is we're seeing more animals coming into the shelter as stray or unowned. And we're seeing less of those animals being reunited with their families," said Angela Hollinshead, Kent County Animal Shelter Director.
Kent County Animal Shelter now has a 24-hour microchip scanner to help pet owners find their animals. It is in a weatherproof, secure case at the Kent County North Campus in Cedar Springs. The new scanner allows people to scan the microchip of a lost pet or even check the number of their own pet's chip.
“Anybody that has pets can use the station. People who find lost pets can use it to try to reunite pets with their owners. If you own a pet, and it has a microchip and you aren't sure what the microchip number is, or you need the chip number to call and update your personal information, which we encourage you to do regularly, you can scan your own pet and go ahead and get your microchip number from them as well," said Hollinshead.
To use this microchip scanning station, pet owners must have their pet microchipped, which the shelter said every pet owner should have.
“So microchipping is great technology, it's pretty painless for the animal, it's just a small injectable device. And what that does is it stays with your pet through their life. And any vet's office any, you know, animal shelter, our 24-hour station now can read these chips, and it provides reunification really quickly," said Hollinshead.
Instructions for the scanner are written on the wall in English and Spanish to make it easy for all pet owners. The shelter said once the person who "finds" an animal uses the scanner, the owner is then contacted by the microchip company.
“The scanner will give the finder the number and then they can call the company, it will tell them what the number is for the company. And the company will reach out to the owner who's registered to that chip, and try to make contact with them and let them know that somebody has found their lost pet," said Hollinshead.
The shelter said you can microchip your pet at your local vet’s office.
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