When exposed to (or scanned by) the appropriate scanner, a microchip provides an identification number that can be associated, through a database, with information about the animal and the owner.

To combat this issue, the shelter has installed a station with a microchip scanner, on the lost and found side of the building. This is so people can determine whether an animal is a stray or not.

“The whole point of our microchip scanner is to empower the community and give them the tools they need to do it themselves without needing to bring that animal into a shelter,” Providence ...