 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
County urged to check stray pets for microchips
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, Times Staff Writer
Veterinary representatives will meet with county officials tonight to try to persuade them to use microchip scanners on lost dogs and cats to reunite them with owners before the animals are euthanized. Dr. Patricia Weston-Bogart, president of the Suncoast Veterinary Medical Association, plans to attend the meeting of the Animal Control Board in Land O'Lakes to present petitions that include more than 600 signatures from concerned citizens. She said she recently was approached about the issue by microchip and scanner manufacturer Schering-Plough. The concern is that the Pasco County Animal Control workers are not using donated scanners to help identify lost dogs and cats. "It's a safe, inexpensive means by which pets could be reunited with owners prior to being put to sleep," Weston-Bogart said. The chips are usually inserted into the pet's shoulder. Assistant County Administrator Dan Johnson, who plans to attend tonight's meeting, said he has many problems with the proposed technology. He wants questions answered by industry representatives, questions that first arose when the industry pitched the technology to Pasco in 1996. The public meeting will be held at 7:15 p.m. at the Animal Control Administrative Office at 19640 Lake Patience Road, Land O'Lakes. Johnson said he wants assurances that the industry has produced a universal scanner that will read the variety of different chips that could be inserted in pets. Also, he wants information on a walk-through scanner that could read the chips from afar on unruly animals. "Not all the dogs we get are calm and your domestic, fun-loving, Frisbee-chasing dog," Johnson said. Weston-Bogart said that counties surrounding Pasco use the scanners, some when the animal is tranquilized before euthanasia. Johnson said the use of scanners would put a demand on Pasco personnel, who handle 10,000 dogs and cats a year. He doubts very many pets even have implanted chips. Also, the chips are not needed if the animals are licensed and wearing their collars, he said. Another problem, Johnson said, is liability or protection from a lawsuit by pet owners whose dog or cat is euthanized after a scanner misses a chip. The industry wants the county to take responsibility for scanners missing chips but hasn't agreed to accept blame for faulty equipment. "I have a problem with an industry trying to expand its market and putting the financial burden on the taxpayers," he said.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Pasco Times |
