WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — An ordinance backed by the mayor of West Lafayette would require impounded animals to be implanted with identification microchips.
Owners of impounded animals would be required to have their pets chipped or pay a $200 fine under the county ordinance, the Lafayette Journal and Courier (http://on.jconline.com/2amCyIo ) reported. Owners could recover their pets within four days, paying $10 for the first offense and $20 for each successive offense.
Almost Home Humane Society executive director Stacy Rogers said about 150 lost pets end up at the society each year and more than 20 percent of them have been impounded before. The shelter has implanted more than 12,000 microchips over the past nine years.
"(Microchips) help us because our goal is to return animals to their home as soon as possible," Rogers said. "If animal control has a scanner in their truck, they could return that animal before it even gets to us."
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Microchip implantation also helps authorities confront owners who ditch their pets.
"Ownership is a responsibility that some do not take seriously," said Sharon Dull, a volunteer at Crystal Creek Kennel in Battle Ground.
Nita Pollock, owner of Crystal Creek Kennel, said she supports the microchip implantation efforts.
"It's the best way to get pets back to their owners," Pollock said. "It's a dog collar that won't come off, that somebody can't take off."
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Information from: Journal and Courier, http://www.jconline.com
