In an innovative move to swiftly reunite lost pets with their owners, the St. Charles Parish Animal Shelter has rolled out a self-service 24/7 Microchip Scanning Station. Located at 921 Deputy Jeff G. Watson Dr. in Luling, the scanning station is now available to the public, offering a simple solution for identifying and returning lost pets to their rightful homes at any time of the day or night.
According to a recent announcement on the St. Charles Parish website, Parish President Matthew Jewell pointed out that the shelter staff were actively seeking to better ensure pet safety and encourage responsible pet ownership. "Our Animal Shelter staff are constantly looking for ways to enhance pet safety and promote responsible pet ownership in St. Charles Parish, and the scanning station can be used by good Samaritans and our law enforcement officers who often step in to assist with lost pets after shelter hours," Jewell stated. The new system is designed to make it easier to quickly reunite pets with their owners, eliminating the need to wait for the shelter's regular business hours.
The process for residents who happen upon a stray is straightforward: bring the pet to the scanning station, scan for a microchip, and if a chip is found, input the chip number into the online database. This will, if the microchip's registration is current, provide the finder with the owner's contact information, facilitating a reunion. It is essential, the shelter emphasizes, for residents to ensure their pet's microchip registration is always up-to-date to guarantee this system works effectively.
While this tool stands to make a significant impact in the community, there exists a duty with those who find pets to hold upon to them until the owner is contacted or the shelter opens for intake. As the St. Charles Parish website warns, abandoning animals outside the shelter is a serious offense, and those responsible will face abandonment charges.
