Lost pets can now be reunited with their families faster, thanks to new free station for scanning their microchip.
The station is open to the public all day, every day outside at the city’s Animal Care and Control shelter at 2741 S. Western Ave. The free scanner is intended to be a faster way for lost pets to reunite with their family, the agency said in a statement.
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WATCH HERE“Anybody who has pets can use the station,” Susan Cappello, the agency’s acting executive director, said in the statement. “If you find a lost dog or cat, you can bring them here, scan for a chip, and potentially helping to reunite them with their family. And if you’re a pet owner and don’t remember your pet’s chip number, or need it to update your contact info, this is a quick way to get it.”
The scanner is also a way to keep a lost pet from entering a shelter, the agency said. Lost dogs and cats with microchips are held for seven days at Chicago Animal Care and Control before they’re put up for adoption.
Microchips, about the size of a grain of rice, are radio frequency identification devices implanted in dogs and cats, usually between their shoulder blades. Owners then register their personal information, like their phone number and home address, on to the chip using a registration database. The chips are only active when they’re scanned and aren’t powered by batteries.
The chips can be scanned and activated at any animal shelter, vet clinic or police station. Owners can figure out which registry tracks their pet’s microchip on the American Animal Health Association’s website.
The process for using the scanner is laid out at the station in English and Spanish. The steps are:
- Scan the pet’s microchip using the handheld device provided in the weatherproof case.
- Write down or take a photo of the chip number that appears on the screen.
- Call the microchip company, instructions provided at the scanning station.
- The company will reach out to the registered owner and help facilitate the reunion.
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