CITY OF LOS ANGELES

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SERVICES

POLICIES and PROCEDURES



MICROCHIP SCANNING POLICY AND PROCEDURE

Date Issued: December 1, 2009 (Rev.) Division Code: OPS

POLICY

To insure every owned animal is returned to its owner as quickly as possible,
Department employees will scan every animal to determine if a microchip is present.

PROCEDURE

Any department employee receiving an animal shall scan the animal before it is booked
into Chameleon. If a microchip is found, the number shall be recorded in Chameleon by
the employee who found the chip. The employee shall immediately place a Possible
Owner (PO) hold on the animal. If the chip information is not in Chameleon, contact the
correct chip company (i.e. AVID or Home Again) for the owners info. After researching
the chip information, the employee shall place a memo into Chameleon with the correct
owner information. The employee shall place a copy of the kennel card into the ACT
Supervisors box and another copy with Please Send Letter into the PO Box in the
clerical office.

The clerk shall check the memo in Chameleon and send the letter to the address listed
in the owners information memo. The letter will allow 7 days for the new owner to
redeem the animal. The clerk shall place a memo in Chameleon with the date the letter
was sent and their ID#. The clerk shall change the review date of the animal to 7 days
after the letter is sent and update the window. The clerk shall attach the kennel card to
a copy of the letter sent and file it by month in the file cabinet.

The Animal Care Technician Supervisor (ACTS) shall take their copy of the kennel card
and change the review date on the hard copy to the date in Chameleon. ACTS is also
responsible for the continuous monitoring of all POs at their shelter.

If the owner does not contact LAAS prior to the review date, the animal will be available
for adoption.

ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS (ACO)

ACOs shall scan an animal in the field or at a private veterinarians facility. This
procedure shall be done before the animal is impounded into Chameleon. Officers may
unload the animal at a shelter where a veterinarian is located before scanning. Upon
finding a chip, the ACO shall follow the procedure as described above.



12
Then the employees will use the microchip information completely differently from the way the microchip manufacturers intended
and in a manner completely different from the way they tell the public on their own website.
*
In other words,
LA Animal
Services will not
contact the
microchip if it
has any
information in its
own records
(regardless of
the accuracy of
their records).
Send a letter??!!
Are they
kidding?? Why
would they mail
a letter ?? Why
wouldn't they use
the phone? Who
makes up these
policies??
THIS IS THE WAY THEY REALLY USE MICROCHIPS!!
TO TELL THE PUBLIC ONE THING AND DO SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT
AND LIE ABOUT IT.
At least they're consistent in that they instruct all employees to misuse
microchips in the same manner.
I wonder if "new owner" is a typo. The
way they use microchips, your animal
is very likely to have a new owner.
That's just great!
Whose idea was it
to check Chameleon
first? That's not
what the Avid
brochure says or
what it says on
LAAS website.


Policy-Microchip Scanning
Rev. December 1, 2009
Page 2




ANIMAL CARE TECHNICIANS (ACT)

ACTs shall scan any domestic or exotic animal when the animal is received. Employees
shall scan an animal an additional time upon any of the following:

Redemption
Adoption
Transfer
Euthanasia (Includes Died In Kennel)
Dead on Arrival (DOA)

Should a chip be found, the ACT will follow the procedure as described above to insure
the owner is properly notified.


REGISTERED VETERINARIAN TECHNICIANS (RVT)

RVTs shall scan any animal upon all exit evaluations. Should a microchip be found, the
RVT will refer the matter to an ACTS who will follow the procedure as noted above to
insure the owner is properly notified.

NOTE: All employees shall scan an animal regardless of its condition. Employees may
use the pole scanner (long handled) to safely scan an animal when conditions warrant.
Animals determined to be too fractious to be scanned by one employee shall not be
scanned until additional personnel are available to safely accomplish the task.