A microchip scanning station for pets is now available for the public at the Danville Police Department, courtesy of a donation from Best Friends Animal Society.
Should an animal stray from home or get lost, a microchip makes for a quick reunion since finding the owner requires nothing more than a quick scan of the skin.
“Microchips are the best way of reuniting animals,” Danville Area Humane Society Executive Director Paulette Dean explained in 2025. “We love it when we get animals that have been microchipped.”
A microchip scanner is available to the public at the Danville Police Department.
The microchips are implanted via a needle that looks like a routine vaccine.
It was inspired by Deputy City Manager Earl Reynolds, who saw a story on a similar installation in Chesapeake, according to a news release from the Danville Police Department.
Best Friends Animal Society provided the three scanners and station hardware outside of the Danville Police Department headquarters located at 1 Community Way.
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A scanner is inside a weatherproof box mounted to a pole along the circular driveway in front of the department. It’s in the same area as a safe exchange zone.
There’s a mounted sign that provides instructions. There’s also a QR code link where the microchip number can be entered to find the contact information for the pet’s owner.
Audrey Lodato, the senior director of regional programs of the Best Friends Animal Society, addressed Danville City Council on last week, thanking the police department for the installation.
Best Friends Animal Society is a national animal welfare organization that first came to Danville in 2024, offering to help the Danville animal shelter amid high euthanasia rates.
Members of Danville Public Works installed the unit.
