KENT COUNTY, Mich. — A new microchip-scanning station aims to help reunite more pet owners with lost pets.

The station, available 24 hours a day, can be found outside Kent County North Campus in Cedar Springs, according to the Kent County Animal Shelter (KCAS).

We’re told the location was chosen to help remove transportation burdens for owners wanting to pick up their lost pets from northern Kent County shelters.

“Transportation to the shelter or time off work are often reasons owners are unable to come for their pets,” says Shelter Director Angela Hollinshead. “The ability for the community in the northern part of the county to use 24-hour microchip identification for reuniting pets before they are taken to the shelter will assist us in keeping families and pets together.”

The shelter says the station is weatherproof and contains bilingual instructions on how to operate the scanner. Those instructions are:

1. Press “OK” to initiate the scanner.
2. Hold the “READ” button while scanning the pet.
3. Begin scanning the pet’s head and make slow S-shaped movements over its neck, chest, legs and behind its forelegs.
4. The scanner will indicate the pet is microchipped with a beeping noise accompanied by a string of on-screen numbers. Snap a picture of the number with your phone.
5. Search the number on Pet Microchip Lookup and call the phone number to find out who the pet’s owner is.

Kent County Animal Shelter

KCAS tells us the scanner is part of an effort to increase the number of lost dogs reclaimed by owners, noting a 200% spike in intakes for stray dogs since 2019. We’re told fewer owners have picked up their lost pets in that time, leading to high capacity at the shelter.

All pet owners are strongly encouraged to have their pets microchipped. Visit KCAS’s webpage for more information.

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