Timonium MD
2-13-2024 4:17am

LOST PET STATIONS

Baltimore County Launches Pet Scanning Stations
New tool will help to reunite pets with owners and reduce shelter intake

TOWSON, MD — The Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services today announced the launch of pet scanning stations at five locations across the county, offering 24/7 access to microchip scanning to help lost pets be reunited with their owners more quickly and prevent animals from being unnecessarily housed at the shelter.

Baltimore County is the first jurisdiction in Maryland to provide these community scan stations.

“Providing community access to scanners will help residents reunite lost pets with their family and loved ones,” said Dr. Gregory Wm. Branch, Director of the Baltimore County Department of Health and Human Services and the County’s Health Officer. “Pets are extensions of families and we work diligently to ensure that family connections are not interrupted. This is another way we are working to make Baltimore County a great place for both people and pets.”

Residents who find a lost pet can now visit any of these scan stations and quickly check for a microchip by following the provided instructions. If a microchip is found, the resident can look up the number in an online database to get the owners’ contact information and reunite them with their pet.

These new stations compliment a change to local law extending the found-pet surrender period from 24 hours to 72 hours to assist with more quickly reuniting pets with owners rather than bringing them directly to Baltimore County Animal Services (BCAS), the open admission shelter for the County. Under current law, someone who has found a lost pet is now required to submit a found animal report with BCAS within 24 hours and turn the animal over to BCAS within 72 hours if a reunion isn’t possible.

Please note that found animals that appear sick, injured, in immediate danger, or have no other options apart from shelter intake, should be delivered to BCAS.
Pet microchipping is a quick and safe procedure that provides a permanent form of identification. As part of a national best practice, every dog and cat adopted from Baltimore County Animal Services is microchipped.

Baltimore County pet owners interested in microchipping their pet can call 410-887-PAWS (7297) to schedule an appointment.

To learn more about the Pet Scanning Stations, including how to check for a microchip, as well as pet adoption and lost pet information, please visit BCAS’ Lost and Found Pet Help page.

Microchip scan stations are located in five parks throughout Baltimore County:

These scan stations allow finders to scan lost or stray pets for a microchip, follow the instructions on the corresponding website accessed by QR code and reunite lost pets often without bringing them into the shelter. Residents can also use the site to ensure their pet is microchipped, learn their pet’s microchip number and find out how to register their microchip.

  1. Press the red button to power the scanner on.
  2. Still pressing the red button continuously, hold the scanner with the red “scanning” sensor pointed down toward the pet and begin slowly scanning the animals back, starting at the neck working your way all the way down to the pet’s tail, in an S-shaped pattern. Learn more about the scanning process and pattern. (PDF)
    1. If no chip is found—Follow the same S shape along both sides of the animal’s body.
    2. If a chip is found—The scanner will beep and display the chip number on the screen. Write down the chip number exactly as displayed
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