Tom Cullerton's measure to reunite pets with owners goes into effect on Jan. 1
VILLA PARK- Dogs and cats will soon be reunited with their owners faster.
State Senator Tom Cullerton's (D-Villa Park) initiative that requires animal shelters to scan a dog or cat within 24 hours of being taken into a shelter goes into effect on January 1, 2016.
"My dog Brenna is like a member of my family. If something happened to her, like most pet owners we would want to find her as soon as possible," Cullerton said. "This new law puts protections in place for cat or dog owners to find lost pets quickly and efficiently."
The number of cats and dogs reported missing has drastically decreased due to new technology such as microchips and online networks. Cullerton believes this new law will bring the state up to date and save all parties involved money in the long run.
"This new law will save shelters some money and stop a lot of heartbreak," Cullerton said.
Previously, under the Animal Control Act, public animal shelters are not required to scan for microchips. Dogs and cats can be adopted or euthanized from shelters without scanning for a microchip first.