Found a stray dog or cat wandering your neighborhood? Any of the Spring Fire Department's nine stations will scan the animal for a microchip free of charge, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The department reminded residents of the program in a July 27 post on its official X account, noting that all nine stations carry pet microchip readers. Since the program launched in 2019, more than 100 animals have been reunited with their owners, according to the department's website.

No appointment is needed.

Bring the found pet to the nearest Spring Fire station. A firefighter scans the animal with a handheld reader that detects a chip roughly the size of a grain of rice implanted under the skin. The chip stores an ID number linked to the owner's contact information in a national registry, not a GPS signal.

The service is especially relevant during summer. The department's 2021 press release noted that hurricane season and flooding events frequently displace pets across the Spring area, making microchip scanning a critical tool for reunification. "Our pets are members of our families and we take their safety seriously," Spring Fire Chief Scott Seifert said in that release, which announced a joint microchip event with Harris County Pets.

Harris County Veterinary Public Health has since expanded the scanner initiative to additional fire departments in unincorporated areas, with Spring Fire cited as a model partner, Fox 26 reported in March.

The department recommends pet owners pair a registered microchip with a properly fitted collar and current ID tag for the best chance of recovery. Spring Fire serves approximately 168,000 residents across 62 square miles of unincorporated North Harris County, and full program details are available at springfd.org.