So you found a dog or cat wandering around your neighborhood. What do you do next?
If you can safely get the animal to come with you, you can scan them for a microchip at a new scanner installed outside of FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic at 1505 Massachusetts Ave.
The scanner was a project for Emily and Deyjah, two local Girl Scouts from Troop 1700. They received the Silver Award for it, which is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette can get.
Wave the scanner over the animal’s whole body, and it will detect if the animal has an intact chip and show you an ID number. Then, you can use a QR code posted near the box to see if the number matches up with any pet owners in a national registry. The registry is where pet owners can update their address and contact information.
There are a few different microchip companies, so looking up the ID number in the national registry will help you match with the correct provider. From there, you can call the company and they will reach out to the animal’s owner to get them reunited with their pet.
You can use the microchip scanner any time. While the clinic is open, you can also go inside to scan an animal for a microchip or get a new microchip for $25.
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations. Sign up for our free newsletters.
Mirror Indy reporter Sophie Young covers services and resources. Contact her at sophie.young@mirrorindy.org.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
