RTO in the Field

On evening last week, Jack, a boxer mix, decided to take a walk around his neighborhood in Sierra Madre. He strolled down the street, around a corner and then happened upon a neighbor, Donn. Jack ran over to Donn and sat patiently for a treat with his tail wagging.

Donn was happy to meet Jake, but also dismayed because Jack did not have a tag on his collar. Donn had seen the dog around the neighborhood, but was not sure where he lived or who his family might be.

Donn called Pasadena Humane, and Animal Control Officer Robles met Donn at the intersection about ten minutes later.

Officer Robles grabbed his microchip scanner from his truck, and with a couple of swipes was able to determine that Jack is microchipped, and in fact was already in our database. He gave Jack a ride home, and while his family was happy to see him, they were a bit surprised because they were certain Jack was in the back yard, until they checked their not-so-closed gate.

Stories like this have become much more common at Pasadena Humane. Equipping our ACOs with microchip scanners and laptops has allowed us to return an increased number of animals to their homes within minutes of them escaping. This results in fewer animals having to spend any time at the shelter.

Jack’s family was also spared the stress and anxiety that grips anyone who loses a pet for any length of time. They were relieved to know that Pasadena Humane was able to reunite them so quickly with the dog they didn’t even know was missing!