It’s much easier to reunite lost pets with worried owners if the dog or cat is microchipped, so Brookhaven Animal Shelter is offering that service at a discount rate at an upcoming one-day event at Petsense.

BARL will be at PetSense on Brookway Boulevard from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, to microchip cats and dogs or to provide dogs with rabies vaccinations. Each service is $10 and only cash is accepted.

A few things to remember:

• All cats need to be in a carrier
• All dogs need to be leashed or in a carrier
• Exact change is appreciated

Volunteer Sonya Littlefield can recount several stories with happy endings where a pet was reconnected with its owner because it had been microchipped.

“We’ve been able to connect pets with their owners, at least half a dozen in the last few months,” she said. “Without a chip, it can take a while. With the microchip, they’re home sometimes in the same day.”

A microchip is a radio-frequency identification transponder, about the size of a grain of rice, that carries a unique identification number. It is injected under the loose skin between the animal’s shoulder blades. When it is scanned by a vet or shelter, it transmits the ID number.

Littlefield said area vets will scan found pets for free to help reunite them with their owners. Found dogs and cats can also be scanned by the city’s animal control officer and at BARL.

Microchipping is also added protection for pets because collars and tags with identification can fall off or be removed.

“Even if tags stay on, over time they can be hard to read,” she said.

Controlling the pet population in Brookhaven and Lincoln County is also important to BARL. In 2024, BARL placed 531 dogs and 586 cats into new homes. Pets adopted from BARL are microchipped and are spayed and neutered.

BARL makes it more affordable for people to get their own pets spayed and neutered. Through their discounted spay/neuter program, they were responsible for 602 dogs and cats from producing future litters and adding to the overcrowded pet population.

The rescue league partners with area veterinarians to offer discounted spay and neuter vouchers for those who qualify. The reduced prices are $45 for cats and $55 for dogs, which includes rabies vaccinations as well. Participating veterinarian clinics are Animal Health Center and Animal Medical Center in Brookhaven and Copiah Animal Hospital in Crystal Springs.

To qualify, owners must reside in Copiah, Franklin or Lincoln counties and be on a government assistance program. Vouchers are limited to two per household.

Board president Rusty Adcock said BARL has a continuing need for volunteers to spend time with dogs and cats at the shelter. It helps to socialize the animals to give them a better chance at being chosen by someone looking to adopt a pet that will fit in well with their family, he said.

Some have told him they don’t want to volunteer because they think it will make them sad.

But Adcock said it can have the opposite effect.

“It can give you a lot of happiness,” he said. “It gives them some human interaction and, in the end, you’ll go home with a smile on your face.”

BARL’s Adoption Center is open Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 3 p.m. or by appointment. Some cats are also available to be seen at PetSense.

Adoption fees are $100 for dogs and $85 for cats, which includes spaying and neutering, vaccinations, and also deworming if needed.

BARL’s Placing Animal With Seniors, PAWS, program offers senior citizens discounted adoption fees on BARL animals. Anyone 60 or older is eligible to receive $50 off an adoption.

The program is designed to offer companionship to senior individuals through pet ownership while providing a home for a shelter animal.

To see photos and descriptions of available animals for adoption and application forms, visit barl.net.

By Donna Campbell