Borough: Pet info should be updated

Sept. 9, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK\Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - People who have taken comfort in the fact that their pet is microchipped through the Mat-Su Borough Animal Care and Regulation department might want to update their information, according to the department's chief.

Anyone whose pet was microchipped prior to 2003 may not have easily accessible information. That could mean the difference between having a lost pet delivered to the owner while the animal-care officer is still out in the field versus having the household pet stuck in "jail" for a while and at risk to being exposed to a contagious ailment like kennel cough, said Dave Allison, chief of Animal Care and Regulation.

"You could get a call within minutes when we pick up your dog or cat and not have to worry about it sitting in the shelter. Typically, if the officer is in the field they can look it up right then on the spot. They can knock on your door and get your animal back to you," he said.

In June 2003, the animal shelter's computer crashed, losing vital information like pet owners' addresses and phone numbers. After four months, the information technicians were able to reconstruct the information from the hard-drive and transfer that data to Microsoft spread sheets.

"Thank God for IT people," Allison said.

Essentially, the software went bad and the hard drive crashed. Because the animal shelter's structure lacks proper air circulation, there's no separation of air between the animal cages and the offices. So, the computer's hard drive loaded up with dander and hair, causing it to stop working.

Much of the information about owners of microchipped owners had to be gathered from paper files. Those facts are now filed in the computer system by batches of microchip numbers.

Although it may seem easy, it still takes considerable time to actually match the information to the corresponding numbers, Allison said.

About mid-August, a male Doberman pinscher named Marcus arrived at the shelter. Because he was microchipped, he was held for five days before going up for adoption. During that time, the shelter tried to notify the owner - to no avail.

The canine, who appeared to be well cared for, was adopted by Dog and Puppy Rescue of Alaska, he said.

"We got a lot of our information back, but sometimes people move and don't update their information about their microchip," he said.

Also, any dog who received a microchip prior to 2003 might need a rabies vaccination updated, since most canines need a booster every two to three years, Allison said. Rabies shots are required by Alaska law, he said.

To provide the shelter with updated information for a microchipped pet, or to make an appointment for a $5 rabies vaccination, call 746-5500.

Contact Dawn De Busk at 352-2252, or dawn.debusk@ frontiersman.com.