Companion animals; duty to identify submitted animal, scanning for microchip.

Companion animals; duty to identify submitted animal; microchip. Requires veterinarians, public and private animal shelters, and releasing agencies to seek to identify the lawful owners of the unidentified companion animals that are submitted to them by scanning for embedded microchips. The bill provides that such scanning shall be conducted at the time of intake, at the time of assessment, and prior to disposition and that a reasonable effort shall be made to contact the owner. The bill also requires that documentation of such scanning and any attempts to contact the owner be maintained for at least 30 days from the date of final disposition of the animal. The requirements of the bill do not apply to transfers between veterinarians, shelters, or releasing agencies.