Aldermen Seek To Equip Animal Control Workers With Pet Microchip Readers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two aldermen have crafted a pet-friendly ordinance to help strays get back home faster, and make it easier for Chicago to become a no-kill city.
Aldermen Raymond Lopez (15th) and Edward Burke (14th) have sponsored an ordinance requiring Chicago Animal Care and Control officers to be equipped with devices that can read any identifying microchips in stray animals they might find.
"The handhelds are small enough to have them in every van that CACC operates – so that now any unit that retrieves an animal should be able to do an immediate scan; check for the address of the caught animal; and if it's within three miles of the location, and has a valid city pet license, immediately returned to home of ownership," Lopez said.
The new requirement would help the city keep many stray pets out of the city's crowded animal pound, and their owners would not have to pay a fee to get their animal back if it is found under such circumstances.
"This is a great idea, because for those of us that are advocating for no-kill, and better animal ownership, the less animals that we wind up with in our shelter, the better off we'll be," Lopez said.
Podcast
Lopez said he and Burke also have sponsored a second ordinance amending the city's animal cruelty law, to prohibit anyone from leaving a dog tied up outside unattended for more than two hours at a time.
"At present, there is no boundary set as to how long an animal can be tethered in private property," he said.
The only current restriction on leaving dogs tied up in Chicago is a ban on leaving a female dog in heat tied up unattended, or unrestrained outside.
