District attorney’s office donates chip scanners to reunite pets with families
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
District Attorney Gene Vittone speaks about funding provided to outfit police departments and humane officers in Washington County with microchip devices so that animals can quickly be reunited with their families.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Sherry Knight of Pet Search holds Chesney, a puppy up for adoption, while Washington Hospital police Chief Mark Pompe uses a microchip scanner to read a chip implanted just under the skin of an animal. Each chip has an individual number that is registered to the animal’s owner.
Canonsburg police Chief Alexander Coghill talks about how police departments usually handle lost pet cases they get called out for and how having their own micro-chip scanners will improve the time it takes to reunite an animal with its family
Cassidy Gerstner, a Washington County assistant district attorney, has been designated as a point of contact for law enforcement for legal advice on serious animal abuse cases.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
One of the microchip scanning devices local police departments will be using.
About a month ago, Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone brought home a pet microchip detector to test it out.
It worked so well that his wife, Jane Ann, was able to reunite a chihuahua lost in Bentleyville with its owners from New Eagle, about 10 miles away.
She found out about the escaped dog via Facebook, scanned it with the microchip detector and contacted the chip database to track down the owners, who had been shopping in Bentleyville when their dog dashed away.
Jane Ann Vittone, wearing a red “Pet Search” T-shirt, was among those on hand in front of the Washington County Courthouse Thursday for her husband’s announcement that the district attorney’s office has used $7,000 from vice-related forfeitures to purchase 30 microchip detectors for law enforcement, including police departments and humane officers, to reunite wayward pets with their owners.
Vittone also used the opportunity to encourage pet owners to have microchips implanted in their pets. The chips contain information that will allow the animal to be reunited with the owner if it becomes lost.
“Animal shelters and veterinary clinics are very aware of the concerns about missing an implanted microchip and take extra measures to determine if a microchip is present before a decision is made to euthanize or adopt out the animal,” Vittone said in a news release.
“Universal scanners are becoming more available and solve the challenge of detecting different microchip frequencies.”
Owners of microchipped dogs also have an opportunity to make a one-time purchase of a lifetime dog license from the county treasurer rather than having to buy a new license every year.
Vittone also introduced Assistant District Attorney Cassidy Gerstner, who has been assigned to handle serious cases of animal abuse under Pennsylvania’s new cruelty law, known as Libre’s Law.
Among other issues, it limits to 30 minutes the amount of time a dog can be tethered outside during extreme weather conditions.
Gerstner and Vittone also encouraged those who are interested in volunteering as humane police officers to contact his office at 724-228-6790 to inquire about taking a training course.
There are just three humane police officers in Washington County. Two are volunteers and one is paid by Washington Area Humane Society, Vittone said.