NEENAH (NBC 26) — One Neenah resident has made pet security a part of her job.
“Every time you find a pet doesn’t mean it’s a stray or it’s not loved," said Nikki Chaganos, founder of Lovie’s Little Free Pet Food Pantry. "Most animals out there belong to someone and they’re missing them very much."
Chaganos started Lovie’s Little Free Pet Food Pantry a year ago.
“It’s only been a year, and this is all the little stuff that’s happened," Chaganos said. "I didn’t think anyone would ever use it, but people stop by all the time."
In that year it has expanded to more than free pet food. She now offers free microchipping vouchers to combat the problem of lost pets.
“The number one way to do that is through an updated ID tag or microchip,” Chaganos said.
The Neenah animal shelter can administer a microchip once a voucher is received from Lovie’s Little Free Pet Food Pantry and Lost Dogs of Wisconsin.
“We just really believe that pets belong with the family that loves them and anything we can do to try to get them back home is what keeps us going day and night,” said Kathy Pobloskie, director of Lost Dogs of Wisconsin.
That's why they're offering free microchips.
“It’s having that tool in place before your pet goes missing that can really be helpful if your pet does go missing,” Pobloskie said.
According to American Humane, about 10 million pets are lost each year but only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats are microchipped.
“This is what we would administer, this sticker then goes in our system in our records so we can properly link that microchip in," said Talia Rice, Neenah Animal Shelter coordinator. "This is the tag that goes with the animal if you want to put it on their collar.”
In Wisconsin, 47 out of 68 animal shelters are no kill shelters but according to the Neenah shelter, microchipping can help that rate even more.
“If we could do more microchipping, they could send those animals home so they’re not so overpopulated and have to make those hard decisions,” Rice said.
Vouchers can be requested from Lovie’s Little Free Pet Food Pantry and Lost Dogs of Wisconsin. To get a microchip administered, all that’s needed is an appointment at the Neenah Animal Shelter and proof of a voucher. The three organizations will continue their voucher program as long as funding lasts.
