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Logan City Officials Considering Offering Pet Microchipping Services

www.nellis.af.mil

Logan city is opening its own animal shelter since the city’s partnership with the Cache Valley Humane Society ended. City officials are considering offering pet chipping services to residents in an effort to increase animal return rates.

Gary Jensen is the Logan city police chief. He helps oversee animal control in the city, which until recently, included a contract with the Cache Humane Society. That contract has now ended, forcing the city to come up with a new solution.

“We’re not worried about being a no-kill shelter," Jensen said. "We want to be a 100 percent return to owner.”

Logan police lieutenant Brad Franke said the department researched ways to increase the return rate of pets. It found microchipping is the most effective solution. Pets can be quickly scanned and then returned to their home.

“We can avoid the impound fees,” Franke said. “We can avoid daily boarding fees and we can avoid a lot of the issues that cost the city money and cost the citizens and the pet owners money.”

Microchipping pets is considered an identification procedure, not a medical one. Anyone can receive microchipping training and perform the service.

“We’re building a partnership with Bridgerland Technical College and their animal sciences program to start with our chipping," Franke said. "And then they will train our animal control officers through their program to be able to do the chipping.”

Franke also said other areas, like Weber County, have ordinances requiring lost animals to be chipped before they are returned to their owner. This helps keep fees lower in the future if an animal is lost again.

A public hearing will be held in two weeks to decide if and how the city will offer chipping services. If the proposal is approved, the police department may begin offering the services as soon as a few weeks after the vote.