Animal services offers free microchips for pets

Salt Lake County Animal Services has made changes to its licensing policies to encourage more pet owners to have their animal registered with the county.

One way Animal Services is promoting licensing pets is by offering a free microchip for first-time licensed animals. The microchip can be implanted at the Animal Services building and will allow the county to identify your pet and return them safely in the event that a dog or cat is lost.

"Only 22 percent of pet owners in the county are in compliance with pet laws. Being out of compliance is actually a Class B misdemeanor, which can result in fines or jail time," Director of Salt Lake County Animal Services Shawni Larrabee said.

Each year the stray holding facility takes in close to 5,000 cats and dogs. About 45 percent of the dogs are returned to their owners while only 3 to 4 percent of cats are successfully returned. County officials hope a new policywill increase that number: cats are now required to be licensed.

"These animals come from somewhere, we want them to go home," Larrabee said.

Larabee said that of the 22 percent of pet owners who have licensed their pets 20 to 25 percent don't renew their licenses.

"We spend a lot of time and resources following up with people who know they should be licensed. We even send out people to knock on doors, hoping to catch the pet owners at home."

As part of a push to encourage pet licensing fees for failure to comply, failure to renew a pet license can result in a fine of up to $250 per violation.

Pet owners who have exceeded the county's limit of two cats or two dogs no longer need to worry. The pet limit has been lifted.

"We have seen people with one pet who are terrible owners and others who have multiple pets that are doing a great job," Larrabee said. "People don't get rid of their pets, they hide them from us."

Larrabee said that by lifting the restriction, the county plans to see more pets registered because there won't be a fear of losing a pet.

The cost of licensing a dog ranges from $8 to $45 and cats range from $5 to $25. New pet owners can get a temporary license for up to six months to provide time for immunizations and spaying or neutering a pet.