JEFFERSONTOWN, Ky. — It is always a scary time when your pet goes missing. The city of Jeffersontown is being proactive, becoming the first city in the Louisville area to start a new project that lends a helping hand. 

What You Need To Know

  • Jeffersontown police and businesses are now equipped with mirco-chip scanners to help identify lost pets]

  • The project is an initiative through the city of Jeffersontown in honor of National Lost Pet Prevention Month

  • Animal control officials report that between July 4-6 is the most common time for pet lost due to the noise and the chaos associated with fireworks

  • To minimize the risk of your pet going missing this Fourth of July week, it is recommended to keep them indoors in a safe, secure environment during a fireworks display and ensure your pet is microchipped and has up-to-date identification tags

Jeffersontown has purchased several portable microchip scanners for police department personnel and several other businesses that have volunteered to support the pet scanner project to help identify any lost or injured pets.

Wigglewow is one of the businesses involved in this initiative, whose founder, Mark Pfeifer, says he knows firsthand the feeling of having a lost pet.

“Cat typically was an indoor cat. Got out and ran away. And so, we put all the signs up and everything, and, because it was a new subdivision, they weren’t a whole lot of people that were living there yet, every night we’re out walking and looking for our cat, Smokey,” shared Pfeifer.

After two weeks, Pfeifer’s pet cat came home but having this pet scanner would have made finding his cat easier. Pfeifer says he is glad he can now help return lost pets to their loving owners.

“We’re thankful to have him home. So again, these scanners will minimize the time that your fur babies are going to be away from home, because just bring them to somewhere in J-Town and we’ll be able to find out exactly where their home is and get them to the rightful owner,” said Pfeifer.

Jeffersontown Mayor Carol Pike says pets become like family and there’s nothing worse than a lost pet.

“I know how important it is. And I see people begging on Facebook. And recently, another friend of mine took his dog to an animal shelter, and somehow the dog got loose, and he was loose for five days. And he’s one of our citizens. And through joint effort throughout the community, we found that dog cross expressways and everything else. How he lived was amazing,” said Pike.

“So that’s why I did that is for our citizens. So not only for our citizens but for animals. We love them just like we love our citizens,” said Pike.

Animal control officials report a 30% to 60% increase in lost pets between July 4-6 due to the noise and the chaos associated with fireworks. Pfeifer says it’s the perfect time for the community to come together for a common cause.

“I don’t know about your dogs, but mine are shaking at night and it’s like, oh, make them stop, make it stop. And so if they’re not contained, they’re gonna run loose and get free. And what a great opportunity to pull in the other businesses in the J-Town area to help out with this effort and support the mayor and what they’re doing. So, and to help families find their lost loved ones. So I love it, great idea,” said Pfeifer.

As long as the pet has a chip, Jeffersontown Police Department personnel will have the microchip readers to be able to find who the owner is and get those pets home safely. 

To minimize the risk of your pet going missing this Fourth of July week, it is recommended to keep them indoors in a safe, secure environment during fireworks. Ensure your pet is micro-chipped and has up-to-date identification tags. That can significantly increase the chances of a lost pet being returned quickly

 Scanners will be available through our Jeffersontown Public Works Department, Jeffersontown Police Department, Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Department, as well as several other businesses.

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