EASTPOINTE, Mich. (WXYZ) — If you own a pet in Eastpointe, there is a new requirement you need to know about. The city has made microchipping cats and dogs mandatory. It is the first city in the state to require the procedure, and there could be penalties for those who do not comply.
Watch Carli Petrus's video report:
Getting a pet microchipped takes seconds and can be done at the Eastpointe Animal Control Shelter. The process is quick, nearly painless, and often free. The shelter also has a device outside its facility that allows community members to scan pets they may find.
Animal Control Officer Ashley Sanchez said the new ordinance is designed to keep pets and the community safe.
"We’re going to be the first in the state to have this approved. It’s a huge step into the right direction as far as the animal control world goes," Sanchez said.
Sanchez describes the process as placing a permanent identification chip under the animal’s skin to help find them if they get lost.
"This is the microchip, inside of it, it’s a little rice grain in size - microchip. It just gets entered underneath their skin and stays under there; it doesn’t hurt the animal," Sanchez said.
On Thursday, resident Barbara Moran brought in her cat, Tortie. It is the second cat she has had microchipped at the shelter.
"Accidents do happen. I do have a blind son, so in case she did get out, she’d be registered, and if someone were to find her, they would be able to contact me," Moran said.
Moran says making microchipping mandatory is a smart move.
"It should be done all over. Just to protect your animals and for your peace of mind, where your animal is at," Moran said.
Sanchez calls the ordinance a game-changer, not just for reuniting lost pets, but for holding owners accountable.
"There was a 14-year-old dog last year who we just went to jury trial this past Monday on, who was abandoned by his owner. She was just found guilty for animal neglect and animal abandonment," Sanchez said.
I asked Sanchez if she was able to figure out the owner right away because of the microchip.
"Duke’s owner was immediately found; in fact, she ended up being the caller," Sanchez said.
As for enforcement of the new ordinance, animal control officers will be checking for chips during their regular duties.
"So, every single call that we go to, we’re now going to be scanning every pet. So, earlier we went to a run where two dogs were running around on Gratiot. We found the owner, we scanned all three, luckily they were microchipped," Sanchez said.
If a pet is not microchipped, the owner will be given a ticket.
"Because now it’s a punishable offense that is up to a misdemeanor charge. So, you are going to go to court, you will be given a chance to rectify the situation," Sanchez said.
Still, the goal is not punishment, but protection.
"It’s all about, not only being a family community but also a pet family community," Sanchez said.
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