KENT COUNTY, Mich. — To help reunite lost pets with their families, the Kent County Animal Shelter has installed a 24-hour microchip scanning station in Cedar Springs.
The first-of-its-kind station aims to help get lost pets back to their families instead of being taken to the shelter. It is located outside the Kent County North Campus on 17 Mile Road NE.
Staff hopes the station both decreases the shelter's capacity and decreases the chance of pet owners being unable to pick up their pets due to a lack of transportation, which the shelter says is common. The station's location was selected to help alleviate that issue for residents in northern Kent County, as the animal shelter is based in Grand Rapids.
"Transportation to the shelter or time off work are often reasons owners are unable to come for their pets," said Kent County Animal 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."
This comes as the shelter said in March that it's over or nearing capacity, with many of the animals in their care being lost pets. Shelter staff say they've seen a 200% increase in pets being placed in their care since 2019, while fewer owners come to pick them up.
To use the scanner, follow these instructions:
- Turn on the scanner by pressing the OK button.
- Hold down the READ button on the scanner and ensure the display reads "Reading" while scanning over the pet, keeping the READ button depressed throughout.
- Start at the pet’s head and move slowly side-to-side, making "S" shaped passes over each area, including legs, neck, chest, and behind the front legs.
- If the scanner beeps and displays numbers then the pet has a microchip; take a photo with your cell phone for reference.
- Always check the microchip enrollment on petmicrochiplookup.com and call the provided number to determine the pet's owner.
These instructions will also be available on-site in both English and Spanish.
The scanning station was set up after the shelter donated scanners to law enforcement agencies.
"This site will be the first in Michigan and only one of several in the nation," said Hollinshead. "In the future we are hoping to build more of these stations and place them around Kent County."
Learn more about microchipping your pets and what to do if you find a lost pet here.
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