The City of San Antonio believes it's getting a handle on the stray pet population through its new microchip law that went into effect June 30.
And free microchipping is being offered Friday afternoon, August 7, at the city's Animal Care Services location on Hwy 151.
ACS Spokeswoman Lisa Norwood says the program provided a total of 5,000 FREE microchips this year, and almost 3,000 were given in the first month to animal owners in key parts of the city.
"Areas where we see a lot of intake, where we see a lot of roaming dogs, where we see a lot of bite cases, where we know there's some difficulty in making sure that folks are abiding by the responsible pet ownership laws."
City council passed a law earlier this year requiring all pets to be microchipped. It takes the place of the annual city license tag and pet owners must still have their animals vaccinated for rabies each year.
Norwood says ACS hopes the City Council will renew its commitment to free microchipping in next year's City budget.
The Microchip Mania clinic is from 2 to 6 p.m. and residents must present a photo I.D. with their City of San Antonio address. The service is not offered to residents who live outside the city limits.
