Nov. 2021 | Vol. 01 Iss. 09
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North Salt Lake/Woods Cross
YOUR C O M M U N I T Y N E WS PA P E R
MICROCHIPPING HELPS ANIMAL CARE REUNITE PETS WITH THEIR OWNERS Byline
By Becky Ginos | becky.g@davisjournal.com
KAYSVILLE—What can be worse for a pet owner than to lose their furry friend? If an animal has been microchipped chances are good for a pet to be reunited with its owner. “We’ve been doing microchipping for over a year now,” said Lisa LaGuess, office manager for Animal Care of Davis County. “But now we have access to the national database where we’re able to search for their number and reach out to whoever the microchip is registered to and get the animal home.” In 2019, the shelter stay was about eight days, she said. “In 2020 it was 3.38 due to the fact that we have more tools to reunite the family member. Just because they have four legs, they're still like family.” Microchipping is not a new thing, said LaGuess. “It takes time for society to accept. There’s a fear and people aren’t trusting because they see it as a GPS or tracking device. It’s not Big Brother. It’s purely to reunite your pet with you.” When the chip is scanned a number pops up, she said. “We type that into the database to see if it’s registered. Now we microchip all of our animals. It’s part of the adoption fee. Then it’s up to you to register them. We can help with that. You need to keep it up to
date in case you move.” LaGuess said there was a Husky that had been missing for two years. “We ran the chip and found the owner. They drove very far to get the dog. It’s a very useful tool for the shelter.” The chip is a little device about the size of a grain of rice, she said. “It’s minor, they’re tiny little things. We implant it between the shoulder blades. It takes a needle to implant but typically the animal doesn’t mind at all, especially if they get a treat. We scan over the top to make sure it’s working and give the information to the owner.” Before they had access to the database, animal care officers would bring an animal in from the field and scan for a chip and then they had to try and figure out what company it was from, said LaGuess. “Then we had to reach out by phone. It was a lengthy process, especially when there are a lot of things to be done here.” Continued page 4 All animals at the shelter are microchipped before they are adopted. Courtesy photo
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