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Animal Shelter Refuses to Scan!

brotymo

Well-known member
I am so annoyed. I called our county animal shelter today because I thought I remembered them teling me they didn't have a scanner (4 years ago when a repairman left our gate open, our dogs all went missing for 3 hours and I called the shelter when I couldn't find them).
I am getting ready to chip Bandit and Lizzie, and I wanted to use the type of chip that they scan for here at our shelter. I figured by now they would be scanning. Can you believe they still don't scan???? They even have a scanner that was donated and they don't scan!!!!! They said, "well, we don't scan. There are so many different brands of microchips that it usually doesn't pick anything up." The woman claims that only twice back when they did scan did they find a chip. I wanted to scream at her, "well, mam, how many have you MISSED because you DIDN'T scan!"

Any suggestions about how I could push for mandatory scanning? It is absurd! Also, is there a scanner that reads multiple freqencies? I understand there aren't any that read every type of chip. I'd like to be able to kill any arguments they have for why they don't scan.
When I had Kaya and Pixie microchipped most recently at Petsmart, it was expensive, but the chips are readable by two different frequencies of scanners (the homeaway and some other frequency)...the most common US frequency and the European frequency.
 
Contact your county or city council members, all of them, and complain. Complain to animal control. Complain to your local SPCA or humane organisation. Talk to vets in the region. You are right, that is absurd. The vast majority of chips in the US can be read because one company has a huge monopoly. There are universal scanners that should read pretty much any other chip used in the US. There are databases that can be checked if it is a foreign chip.

There is a legal issue too I should think -- as in, how many chipped animals were put down or rehomed when they should have been reunited with their owners? Surely a shelter has a duty of care to scan?
 
Thanks Karlin. I will get right on it. I am good friends with the former magistrate judge who is now the current county manager. I think I will start with him! I know he is an animal lover. I happen to pet-sit for his two dogs and two cats and fish when he and his family go out of town.
 
That is really irritating to hear!

The woman claims that only twice back when they did scan did they find a chip.

And that's two more dogs who were returned home! You'd think if they already have the device they'd use it.
 
This is really upsetting! I assumed all the shelters in the U.S. would scan all incoming dogs as a matter of routine. Although the breeder had already microchipped Daisy, just to make sure she really was chipped, our vet checked her with a universal scanner. He said it would at least show the presence of a microchip, even if it couldn't access the number.

I'm going to call our local shelter and ask them this question!

That is so ignorant to be so "cavalier" (definitely no pun intended) about checking for microchips when this is the very business these shelters are in -- trying to make sure stray dogs get back home or get a home. Considering that more and more people are microchipping, how old was this lady's experience? 10 years ago?!

Good luck on getting the situation rectified. And thanks for posting so I can check this out at our local shelter.
 
Thanks for bringing this up.
I got both Rosie & Ebony micro chipped when they were puppies and I am about to get Harley done. I am just wondering how it works in the UK. I always thought any Vet or the RSPCA or other Rescue Organisations that have a scanner could read the chip. You would think your dogs have a better chance when they are chipped. Does anybody know how it works in the UK?:confused:
 
I just called our shelter and got good news. They do scan all incoming animals with two different universal scanners, just in case one misses a chip. Whew -- that makes me feel better!
 
Well, I wish ours was so careful. I am going to contact all the local vets and see if I can get an idea of how many animals they microchip or see if they keep records of whether or not the animals in their care have anything on file that indicates their microchipped status. I want to arm myself with some data that shows the shelter they have no excuse NOT to scan, and scan completely, like for all the current chip frequencies.
I think armed with some statistics, I might accomplish more. Maybe also a letter to the editor of the paper. We are always hearing about how the shelter is overcrowded, underfunded, blah blah...well heck, they aren't even making a good faith effort to try to reunite pets with the owners. The quicker they reunite a pet and it's owner, the less crowded the shelter will be, making room for truly homeless pets instead of lost pets.
 
You go, girl! That is ridiculous that a shelter doesn't scan, and any rational person would recognize that immediately.

Good luck!
 
pathetic and you know I live not far from you and more in the backwoods down here--lol. I'm going to call also and see what kind of answer I get.
 
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