Melvindale ordinance and animal control employee Faisal Munassar (left), receives a donation of a pet microchip scanner and a cage trap at the Sept. 4 City Council meeting from City Councilwoman Michelle Said Land on behalf of Toby’s Friends Animal Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Land founded.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspaper
MELVINDALE – Ordinance and animal control officer Faisal Munassar has two new tools to help reunite pets with their owners – a microchip scanner and a cage trap for use with large dogs.
The equipment was donated by Toby’s Friends Animal Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit group founded in 2014 by City Councilwoman Michelle Said Land, providing tools of the trade which the city did not have.
The large animal trap, a $300 piece of equipment, is used to catch large dogs and wild animals of a similar size, such as coyotes. It has a rear door for easy baiting and release, and a wheel kit which can be used to help transport an occupied trap.
“A professional trap is the most humane, it is reliable, and it reduces stress or potential injury upon either the animal or the animal control officer,” Land said.
The microchip identification universal scanner, a $320 investment, is designed to read all brands and frequencies of microchips currently in use in the United States.
“The scanner will be very useful in efforts to identify who a dog or cat belongs to, reuniting a lost animal with its owner,” Land said.
(Sue Suchyta can be reached at [email protected])