A public pet microchip scanning station, believed to be the first of its kind in Johnson County, is now up and running in Gardner.
The Gardner Police Department installed the scanning device inside a portable station last week in the parking lot at the head of the popular Gardner Greenway trail off East Madison Street.
Capt. Zach Roberts with Gardner Police said local residents love their pets and are always eager to try and reunite lost pets with their owners.
That inspired him to find a solution, in addition to reduced capacity at local animal shelters which prompted the the city to modify its animal control procedures in January.
The changes include no longer removing cats from a property unless the cat is ill, injured or has bitten a person and also only picking up stray dogs when an animal control officer is on duty.
“We launched the [microchip scanner] initiative to try to get animals home safely and quickly without it having to be through animal control,” Roberts said.
Authorities in Topeka set up a similar public pet microchip scanner late last year, and the devices can be found in cities across the U.S., from coastal North Carolina to western Texas.
Roberts estimated it cost $700 to build and install the one in Gardner.
How it works
Gardner’s station is “purposely” portable, Roberts said, whereas others he has researched in other parts of the country are fixed on the ground.
“We wanted to move it if need be,” he said.
The station is equipped with a handheld microchip scanner that sits inside a box, covered in a weatherproof casing. The scanner itself is connected to the box by a cord so users cannot walk off with it.
There is a sign with instructions on how to use it. It’s available 24/7.
Residents can scan the animal’s back for a chip number and enter the number into a website for registry information.
The scanner will only identify pets that have a microchip implanted in them. Instructions provide further steps and assistance if a microchip cannot be found.
Roberts said the scanner does not track and store data, so Gardner Police do not have numbers for how many pets have been found since setting up the station.
“But the feedback from the community in the past week has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said.
City hopes to install more scanners
While Roberts joked he did not have plans to build pet microchip scanners as a side business because of time and cost, Gardner Police plan on putting up more stations at other city parks, including Veterans Memorial Park, Celebration Park and Cornerstone Park next to the Gardner public pool and the Johnson County Fairgrounds.
Gardner Police Chief Pam Waldeck said before implementing more scanners throughout the city, the police department wants to see how this initial scanner is used and the feedback received from the community first.
“It has been very successful,” she said. “We have received tons of positive feedback and been asked where we bought it.”
City Councilmember Kacy Deaton said the scanner was “an amazing, phenomenal idea.”
“We have great citizens that pick up lost dogs and want to help,” she said. “This gives them the ability to help, and I hope it gets used well.”
What else you need to know
The Gardner Police Department encourages pet owners to register their pets online here.
City ordinance requires all dogs and cats, three months and older to be licensed.
The Gardner Police Department’s animal control division can also be reached at (913) 884-859.
