A unique service to see if a pet is microchipped.
The new Community Veterinary Clinic - Windsor Essex has installed a new, publicly accessible microchip scanning station located just outside of the clinic on Holden Avenue.
This 24-hour, weather-proof station is designed to allow members of the community to quickly scan found pets for microchips.
The station is easy to use by anyone who finds an animal. Community members can open the box to access the scanner, press the button, and run it over the pet's neck and back. If a chip is found, the number will be shown on the scanner display.
Signage is available at the station advising how to trace the owner of the pet through the microchip number.
Melanie Coulter, co-founder of Community Veterinary Clinic, says the chip is the size of a grain of rice and is located between the shoulder blades.
"Basically when you scan it, you use a reader device and you run it over the animals back and a number will pop up, a long number and when you type it into the database it will tell you who its registered to and you can contact the person."
She says finding the owner saves both time and money.
"If you've driven around for a half an hour and you don't see anyone holding a leash looking for their dog, then bringing them into scan might be a good alternative to calling the pound or the humane society, or animal control to bring them to a shelter because then the owner has pick them up and pay fees. If you can contact them directly, a lot of people want to do that."
Coulter says pet owners can use it too.
"The other reason you might want to use it is to check your own pets chip. If you know your pet is microchipped, this is a good way to check the chip number, make sure its accurate and your information is updated so you can also use it for your own pets as well as a found pet."
By offering this service, it could allow lost pets to be safely, and quickly returned to their families.
The scanning station is free, and is the first of its kind in Windsor-Essex.
-with files from AM800's The Shift with guest host Kyle Horner