Animal control eager to roll out new field return program

May 12—St. Joseph is laying the foundation for a diverse new program that could prove to be a game-changer for getting lost pets returned home faster and reducing shelter capacity.

The new system, called the Field Service Program, will allow animal control officers to scan dogs out in the field so they can be returned home directly without having to be transported to the shelter first.

"We're really hopeful that it's going to make a difference. As you know, we've had such an influx of dogs over the past year and we've really struggled with capacity," said Holly Bowie, Animal Control and Rescue manager. "So we're really hoping to reduce our dog intake by at least 10% and hopefully more with this program."

The program was made possible with help from a $30,000 animal welfare grant from PetCo Love, a nonprofit organization that seeks to empower animal lovers to save pet lives. With funds being received in April, the new program is in its early phases and being rolled out in steps.

The scanning system is just one key component of the new program, which seeks to significantly boost both the awareness and number of dogs that have microchips so tracking and returning pets can be as successful as possible.

"Part of that will be providing microchips in the field to pets that don't have them, and also making sure that if they do have a microchip, those microchips are kept up to date," she said.

Animal Control is also implementing a new upgraded chip where the public is permitted a one-year free registration with PetLink, the organization that supplies the chips. Registration with PetLink is crucial for keeping lost pets out of the shelter and getting them returned home.

"A lot of people will purchase a microchip but not register it through PetLink ... So in that case, the only place that the record is kept is at our shelter," Bowie said. "So if they don't keep their records up to date with us or PetLink, oftentimes we get a dog with that address as wrong or the phone number is incorrect."

New dog hub tag technology will pave the way for residents to make a greater impact as well. Hub tags come with QR codes that when scanned, display information about the dogs and their owners so residents can reach out to owners directly and get them returned. If linked with PetLink, the QR code is capable of sending GPS coordinates to the owner so they can locate their pets even faster.

An owner of three dogs, St. Joseph resident Dave Edson is no stranger to having to track down some of his adventurous and clever pets who frequently get loose.

"We've got one that runs off all the time and he got quite a ways away. So we were lucky that somebody found him and gave us a call," he said. "But if they don't have a collar on them, what are you going to do?"

A volunteer with Friends of the Animal Shelter, he likes the idea of what the new field service program will provide for pet owners in the community.

In situations where his dogs have escaped, Edson was fortunate that like many pet owners, their collars included contact information so residents were able to reach out to them directly.

But animal control officials see oftentimes that isn't the case.

"Most of the dogs that we pick up, maybe 75% are not identified by a microchip or a tag. We've seen that number increase over the years as we've checked everything that leaves the shelter. But there's still a huge gap that needs to be fulfilled," Bowie said.

Animal Control officers have already undergone preemptive training on the new system. Training also focused on creative ways to keep dogs in homes instead of bringing them to the shelter.

New partnerships will provide pet owners and the shelter with more coordination and support to get pets returned home safely.

"We also partnered with the St. Joe Pets Lost and Found page. Our officers will be posting lost dogs on that page as they find them and offering our phone number so that they can be contacted while they're in the field with the dog and hopefully return them to the owner before they bring them to the shelter," Bowie said.

The expected efficiency of the new system will aid animal control by reducing the amount of time spent by officers and animal shelter workers transporting and processing lost pets to the shelter.