Washington County will mandate microchips be implanted in dogs picked up in unincorporated area without collars, if a proposal to be considered by the county’s Animal Concerns Advisory Board is implemented.

Any stray dog picked up for a second time by a county animal control o◊cer will be spayed or neutered at the owner’s expense, under an animal control ordinance proposed by the board.

A second proposed ordinance would limit to 10 the number of animals one person, entity or organization can put through the county’s low-cost spay and neuter program.

It would also prohibit paying to spay and neuter animals that are sold, adopted or released to people who don’t live in the county.

The board meets at 7 p.m. Thursday in the library of the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayettevilleto review the two proposed ordinances drafted following discussion at last month’s meeting. The board is scheduled to vote on whether to recommend the ordinances to the Washington County Quorum Court.

A small group of people have taken advantage of the county’s income-based, low-cost system for spaying and neutering animals-submitting between 40 and 60 voucher to participating veterinarians, said Claudette Cardwell, chairman of the advisory board.

The program ran out of money in 2008 and changes are needed to make sure it helps the people it is targeting and not animal rescue programs.

Anyone who needs more than 10 vouchers could appeal to theboard to approve more, according to the draft ordinance.

Cardwell explained the microchips proposed for stray animals are not tracking devices. They allow animal control o◊cers and shelters to identify pet owners, who can then be contacted. The chips work better than collars because they stay on, she said..

“It’s like the tags you have attached to their collar, except that it’s under the skin,” she explained.

The proposed animal control ordinance also doubles the cost of impoundment from $75 to $150 for animals that have been picked up more than once. This would pay for the cost of the mandatory spaying or neutering, Cardwell explained.

News, Pages 1 on 11/03/2009

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