Checking the chips at ACCT Philly

For those of you not into animal welfare, skip this one as I indulge myself.

I have been using my columns to improve the lives of the unfortunate homeless animals in the city shelter since 2004, when my expose blew up the sheiter, then known as PACCA.

I’ve written maybe 20 columns on the subject, including one last week when I published a mildly positive, post-COVID update on what now is known as ACCT Philly. 

Some animal advocates praised it, and a couple condemned it in letters you can still find on this website, because I stupidly believe in freedom of expression. 

I can stand criticism. What I can’t stand — as one nitwit did — are claims I am somehow on the take from the shelter I have criticized for a decade. 

Or the one who said I should learn about the sad case of Saint, a dog that was illegally put down while in ACCT’s care.

That ignoramus was blissfully unaware I had reported on that situation and condemned ACCT’s actions.

I hear from many “in the know” about “terrible things” happening at the shelter. But almost every time I ask them for factual specifics — names, dates, times, locations — all I hear is crickets. 

This blog is not like most of social media. I adhere to journalistic standards of having provable facts and actual evidence. I don’t shop rumor or “things I read” on some blog published by anonymous people. 

I have volunteer and other sources in ACCT and I always have. They give me valuable insight, and often solid facts that I can check.

From readers, I heard two specific complaints I could look into.

One was salary. “Staffers aren’t paid enough,” one reader said.

“Enough” is subjective. The general staff is unionized and union wages are usually at least competitive with private industry. Workers also have health coverage, access to 401k investment, and paid time off.

Another was a complaint that some microchipped animal had somehow slipped through and was euthanized. I did not doubt that. It happened. Bad things happen in even the best of organizations. 

Current co-executive director Sarah Barnett tells me policy calls for animals to be checked more than once. 

“Animal Protection Officers have scanning wands with them and will scan for chips in the field,” she said. If time allows, they try to trace the chip so the animal can be returned in the field, bypassing the shelter.

Once at the shelter, animals are checked on intake if possible (based on animal behavior), and also when an animal is medically treated, such as vaccination. 

“If behavior makes that hard to do,” Barnett said,  “we use a ‘scanner wand’  which allows the handler to be a few feet away. If a chip is found, that’s entered. If not, we microchip them.”

Animals also are scanned before surgery or a sedated exam (regardless of if they have been noted to have a microchip).

Animals are scanned before the adopter leaves with them to ensure the chip matches what is in ACCT’s records. 

Finally, “animals are scanned prior to euthanasia.”

 The biggest problem ACCT has is not missed chips, Barnett said, but unregistered chips, or chips that have phone numbers that are no longer in service. 

“It’s so frustrating because someone clearly cared enough to chip them, but we have no way to contact them,” said Barnett.