A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Sheriff Kelly Lake prepares to take Axel while her daughter, Taylor, holds onto Ruger , so pet owner Paul Shykes can fill out paperwork to get the dogs microchipped.
Taylor Diver brought three dogs to Saturday's microchipping event. Four-month-old husky Odin, seen here, got to go first, but Thor wasn't far behind.
Bodie, a Pomeranian and Chihuahua mix, acts as a dog ambassador Saturday as he rides around in a puppy pouch with owner Tammy Sullivan of Northern Lakes Rescue.
In its fourth year, the annual Cloquet microchip clinic Saturday saw no decrease in the number of dogs and cats (and their owners) lining up for pet services, including free microchips for up to three pets, $10 nail trims and low-cost vaccinations.
Sheriff Kelly Lake and her daughter, Taylor, helped wrangle a couple of excitable dogs to give their owner a moment to fill out paperwork Saturday afternoon at Veterans Park. Sponsored by the city of Cloquet and Carlton County and held in conjunction with Northern Lakes Rescue, the clinic was born out of necessity after the local humane society closed in 2018.
Cloquet police commander Dave O'Connor said pets that are microchipped are far more likely to be reunited with their owners quickly than those who aren't.
"Each year we get more and more that are chipped," he said. "It really works well; usually, we can contact the owners pretty quickly."
He wasn't just talking, either - they'd had their puppy microchipped that morning too. "He did squeal quite a bit," the police officer admitted.
Many of the dogs barely seemed to notice once they accepted the idea that someone else was going to hold them tightly for a couple minutes. While one worker held the animal immobile, another pulled up the skin on its back and quickly injected the chip inside. A quick scan confirmed it was working, and owners were sent off with strict orders to fill out the contact information online. If an owner doesn't enter their information, the microchip is worthless.
"If an animal is found, the scan will bring up the chip number; then you have to go to the database to find the owner's information," said Melissa Kraklau of Northern Lakes Rescue.
Paul Shykes brought his two dogs, a pitbull-German shepherd mix named Axel, age 6, and Ruger, a one-year-old yellow lab. He said Ruger likes to run off, and the pup hasn't been the best influence on the normally trustworthy Axel, so he figured getting them chipped was a great idea.
He said the fact that the chips were free was a factor in his decision. "That, and I just happened to be off today," he said.
Northern Lakes founder Shannon Steele said they did 177 microchips Saturday, compared to 157 the year before. They didn't let the rain stop them either, since the center of operations was in the picnic shelter, accepting one last animal for microchipping at 5:15 p.m.
Northern Lakes Rescue is a foster-based rescue with close to 100 foster homes all over Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Foster coordinator Tammy Sullivan said they prefer it that way. "A lot of them come off the streets," she said. "It's nice to be in a home, get used to people and learn some house manners."
They also run a foster-to-adopt program, which allows prospective pet owners to try out a dog for 10 days before deciding if they want to adopt. Many of the dogs come from Texas, although they recently brought some in from South Dakota and also work with more local groups. "Shelters everywhere are so full now," she said.
