A microchip scan helped reunite a lost dog with its family after the pet escaped during a stop at Buc-ee’s in Bastrop. (Courtesy Bastrop Animal Control)
A lost dog that escaped during a stop at Buc-ee’s is back with its owner this week after Bastrop Animal Control Officer Robert McBain scanned the pet’s microchip—an early example of how city officials hope new scanners and a public microchip scanning station will help more animals get home faster.
What happened
McBain said the dog’s owner, Page, stopped at Buc-ee’s to charge her vehicle, and the dog escaped without her realizing.
After using one of the city’s newly acquired microchip scanners, McBain identified the dog and contacted Page.
“She was crying and said she thought she would never see her dog again,” McBain said in an email to Community Impact.
How we got here
Bastrop City Council accepted a donation of six universal microchip scanners from nonprofit pet wellness organization Save An Angel on May 26.
McBain told Community Impact the scanners will be used by Animal Control and Bastrop Police Department supervisors as part of a pilot program that he hopes to grow.
Why it matters
McBain said the reunion shows the purpose of the city’s microchip ordinance, the Bastrop Police Department’s scanner pilot program and a public microchip scanning station now available at the police department.
“A simple scan helped reunite the lost pet with its owner quickly and prevented the animal from having to be transported to the shelter,” McBain said.
Bastrop resident Alexandra Valadez demonstrates how the public microchip scanner works on Finn while his brother, Balto, waits nearby. The scanner is located in the Bastrop Police Department parking lot, across from Bastrop Bark Park, at 104 Grady Tuck Lane. (Amanda Cutshall/Community Impact)
McBain said the Bastrop Police Department is using the scanners in a pilot program to help reunite lost pets with their owners more quickly.
He explained that, at night and on weekends, police officers handle animal control calls, and transporting a dog to the shelter can take an officer out of service for about an hour.
"The goal of this pilot program is to save officers time, reduce impound fees for the city and lessen the burden on the animal shelter,” McBain said.
Some context
The donation follows a city ordinance passed last summer aimed at reducing the number of unclaimed pets entering the Bastrop Animal Shelter.
As previously reported by Community Impact, McBain said it costs the city about $270 each time an animal is picked up and housed at the shelter.
He also noted that unchipped animals are held for 72 hours; those with microchips are held for up to 10 days, giving owners more time to reclaim them.
More options
McBain said many people who find pets post on social media looking for owners but do not have a way to scan for a microchip—especially at night or on weekends when veterinary clinics are closed.
To help, the city recently installed a public microchip scanning station that gives residents a place to scan found pets 24/7.
How it works
Located in the Bastrop Police Department parking lot at 104 Grady Tuck Lane—directly across the street from the Bastrop Bark Park—the microchip scanner displays the chip number.
Residents can then scan a QR code with their phones to submit the chip number, which police or Animal Control officers can use to notify the pet’s owner, McBain explained.
Need a microchip?
Save An Angel offers low-cost wellness services, including $22 community microchip events with the city, and other low-cost services.
