If your pet gets loose more than once in Washington County, it could soon mean automatic spaying, neutering, and microchipping, with the owner footing the bill.
One of the proposed ordinances says any time an animal is picked up for the second time by an animal control officer, it will be spayed or neutered, at the owner's expense.
Animal Concerns Advisory Board Member Lib Horn says a second proposal would implant strays with a microchip the first time the pet is picked up. "They can't tell us where they live, they can't give us your phone number. Animals with no ID may end up never leaving the shelter." In 2008, 704 lost pets were reclaimed from the Fayetteville Animal Shelter. Shelter Director Justine Middleton says that the reunions happened in large part thanks to microchips. The Fayetteville Shelter offers microchipping for $20.00. Horn says, "if you have a microchip, nobody can cut the collar and lost its ID, nobody can remove a tag and remove its ID." Middleton agrees people shouldn't wait until pets are gone to get it done, and adds, owners with pedigree pets used for breeding should keep a close eye on animals, to ensure they don't unintentionally get spayed or neutered. "It's about being responsible stewards of your pets, because it's scary to lose your pet, and it can be very hard to find them." But even though the chips are the size of a rice grain, Middleton says they're not that hard to find. "Just stores that very vital information- phone number, address, and your name." Horn describes it like this: "a microchip is your pet's ticket home."
And for Fayetteville owner Steve Simmons, that meant three "tickets home," for his dogs. "I had three dogs that got lost together, and they were all microchipped. And a neighbor left the gate open, and they got out and they all stayed together, and they found me within a couple of hours because they were microchipped."
Earlier this year, officials say the county ran out of money in their low cost spay and neuter program. So this year, they're proposing an ordinance that would limit the number to ten animals that any one person entity or organization can put through this low-cost program. The Washington County Animal Concerns Advisory Board meets Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. in Fayetteville's St. Paul's Episcopal Church library, to vote on recommending the proposed ordinances to the Washington County Quorum Court.
So far this year, the Fayetteville Animal Shelter has spayed and neutered 315 pets in their low-cost program. For more information, call the Fayetteville Animal Shelter at (479) 444-3456, or just head over to 1640 S Armstrong Avenue, in Fayetteville.
One of the proposed ordinances says any time an animal is picked up for the second time by an animal control officer, it will be spayed or neutered, at the owner's expense.
Animal Concerns Advisory Board Member Lib Horn says a second proposal would implant strays with a microchip the first time the pet is picked up. "They can't tell us where they live, they can't give us your phone number. Animals with no ID may end up never leaving the shelter." In 2008, 704 lost pets were reclaimed from the Fayetteville Animal Shelter. Shelter Director Justine Middleton says that the reunions happened in large part thanks to microchips. The Fayetteville Shelter offers microchipping for $20.00. Horn says, "if you have a microchip, nobody can cut the collar and lost its ID, nobody can remove a tag and remove its ID." Middleton agrees people shouldn't wait until pets are gone to get it done, and adds, owners with pedigree pets used for breeding should keep a close eye on animals, to ensure they don't unintentionally get spayed or neutered. "It's about being responsible stewards of your pets, because it's scary to lose your pet, and it can be very hard to find them." But even though the chips are the size of a rice grain, Middleton says they're not that hard to find. "Just stores that very vital information- phone number, address, and your name." Horn describes it like this: "a microchip is your pet's ticket home."
And for Fayetteville owner Steve Simmons, that meant three "tickets home," for his dogs. "I had three dogs that got lost together, and they were all microchipped. And a neighbor left the gate open, and they got out and they all stayed together, and they found me within a couple of hours because they were microchipped."
Earlier this year, officials say the county ran out of money in their low cost spay and neuter program. So this year, they're proposing an ordinance that would limit the number to ten animals that any one person entity or organization can put through this low-cost program. The Washington County Animal Concerns Advisory Board meets Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. in Fayetteville's St. Paul's Episcopal Church library, to vote on recommending the proposed ordinances to the Washington County Quorum Court.
So far this year, the Fayetteville Animal Shelter has spayed and neutered 315 pets in their low-cost program. For more information, call the Fayetteville Animal Shelter at (479) 444-3456, or just head over to 1640 S Armstrong Avenue, in Fayetteville.
