Dogs and cats in the Phoenixville Borough and their two-legged guardians will benefit from a new effort to directly return lost animals to their homes, as the borough’s police department is now equipped with a universal microchip scanner.
By delivering lost animals to their doorsteps, officials hope to eliminate temporary holding in licensed kennels and subsequent transport to local shelters.
“Direct return” programs are known within the national animal welfare community as part of Responsible Pet Ownership Communities. These communities also prioritize proper containment and adherence to leash laws, and promote spay and neuter.
In Phoenixville, if an animal is found to be microchipped and information regarding their residence is available, police will now be able to directly return the animal to his or her home. The measure saves both time and money, and it’s aimed at generating goodwill as part of community policing efforts.
Furthermore, such efforts help to ensure that animals avoid entry into the shelter system.
“Phoenixville Borough is full of caring, responsible pet owners,” Borough Councilmember and pet owner Jon Ewald said. “Occasionally, animals may become lost. If and when they do, people who microchip and license their pets will have peace of mind knowing they could be directly returned. Animals are part of our community and important to the lives of the human constituents we serve.”
Phoenixville, like many other municipalities, does require that owners responsibly leash their dogs in its ordinances.
After discussing lost pet procedures with the Phoenixville Police Department, and encountering several wayward dogs in Phoenixville in the past few months, Ewald reached out to his veterinarian, Dr. Christine Meredith, to discuss a direct return program.
Instead of simply recommending a specific microchip scanner, Dr. Meredith, who owns and operates Affinity Veterinary Center in Malvern, acted immediately by generously donating a universal scanner to the police department.
Acting Phoenixville Borough Police Chief Thomas Sjostrom has updated the department’s standard operating procedures since receiving the scanner. They now include the use of the universal microchip scanner as the first step when trying to identify a dog’s or cat’s owner.
“Not only is this a great tool to help return pets to their homes more efficiently, it is another great avenue for positive police interaction with the entire Phoenixville community,” Sjostrom said. “We fully embrace this program, and we look forward to swiftly getting pets back to their owners.
“We certainly encourage all pet owners to consider chipping their pets. We have the software installed in all of our police vehicles, so our officers can get the information while still on location. We will also offer this great service to our surrounding jurisdictions.”
As a reminder, microchips only help if the information that is associated with the chip is up to date. If you have moved, switched e-mails, or changed your phone number, call your microchip company today to update your contact file.
Unrelated to microchipping, Pennsylvania law requires that all dogs three months and older are licensed annually. For spayed and neutered dogs, owners have the option of a lifetime license that requires just one single payment of $31.50. An unlicensed dog can lead to citation and fines of up to $300 per violation.
Licenses for 2017 are now available through the Chester County Treasurer’s office. Click here for more information.
