KENT COUNTY, MI — A new microchip scanning station aims to help reunite more pet owners with lost pets.
According to the Kent County Animal Shelter (KCAS), the station is available 24 hours a day and is located outside the Kent County North Campus in Cedar Springs.
I've heard that this location was chosen to ease the travel burden for owners who want to adopt lost pets from shelters in northern Kent County.
“A lot of times owners can't pick up their pets because they have to go to a shelter or take time off from work,” said shelter director Angela Hollinshead. Pets before being taken to a shelter can help keep families and pets together. ”
The station is weatherproof and includes bilingual instructions on how to operate the scanner, the shelter said. Those instructions are:
- Press “OK” to start the scanner.
- Hold the “Read” button while scanning your pet.
- Begin scanning your pet's head, moving in a slow S-shape around the neck, chest, legs, and behind the front legs.
- The scanner will beep along with a series of numbers on the screen to indicate that your pet is microchipped. Take a photo of the number with your cell phone.
- Find your pet's owner by searching for a number on Pet Microchip Lookup and calling the number.
Kent County Animal Shelter
KCAS said the scanner is part of an effort to increase the number of stray dogs being adopted by owners, noting that the number of stray dog adoptions has soared by 200% since 2019. I have heard that during this time, fewer owners are adopting lost pets. This will lead to an increase in the capacity of evacuation centers.
We highly recommend that all pet owners microchip their pets. For more information, please visit his webpage at KCAS.
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