GRAFTON, Wis. — As temperatures start to climb, warmer weather often means more lost dogs and cats. Some area first responders are stepping up with new technology to help reunite owners faster with their four-legged best friends.
Kate Fiacchino knows the heartbreak of a lost pet.
"Extremely upsetting," Fiacchino said. "It is anxiety-producing. You can't sleep… just the worst things run through your mind. Oh my goodness."
Her cat has disappeared in the past, causing days of stress and worry. Luckily, her dog Prince prefers to stay close and loves coming to Muttland Meadows Dog Park in Grafton, Ozaukee County, where it's hard to get lost.
Just last month, the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office received a new tool to help track down missing pets — a microchip reader donated by the nonprofit Lost Dogs of Wisconsin. The group is working to get these readers into the hands of more first responders and municipalities around the state.
"We are a virtual organization that helps people around the state of Wisconsin who have lost their dogs or who have found a dog," said Kathy Pobloskie, director of Lost Dogs of Wisconsin. "We provide resources, tips, sometimes hands-on help. We do cover the entire state, all 72 counties."
It's something Bayside resident Elaine Pinkert and her dog Plato are glad to see in their county.
"It's very helpful and makes us feel more secure," Pinkert said.
Pobloskie says having readers in police cars and fire stations can get pets home much faster — sometimes within minutes — without a long trip to a shelter. That saves time, taxpayer dollars, and keeps kennel space open for animals who truly need care. Pobloskie said these microchip readers are often universal — meaning they can detect nearly any brand or type of chip, no matter when or where it was implanted.
Watch: Pet microchip scanners give Ozaukee County residents peace of mind
"In the long run, it saves the taxpayer money, because if the police find a pet and then they have to take it to a shelter that has a scanner, and in some counties, like in Wisconsin, the shelter might be on the other side of the county," Pobloskie said. "But if they have the scanner right in their car, and they can look up the owner information, that pet is probably not that far from home, and they can just contact the owner directly, or just drive the pet right back home."
The technology also helps shelters by freeing up kennel space for animals that truly need it, since most shelters are at least partially taxpayer funded.
Next week, the Milwaukee Fire Department plans to roll out these readers at all 31 of its fire stations.
"It's nice to see technology do something very useful to us. I appreciate that," Fiacchino said.
The scanners, which cost anywhere between $200 and $500, work by reading microchips implanted between a pet's shoulder blades. The microchip itself is about the size of a grain of rice and doesn't require a battery, making it readable for up to 15 years.
"It's not GPS. It's not like you can track your lost pet with a microchip. It's just to identify the pet once the pet is found," Pobloskie said.
Lost Dogs of Wisconsin has been expanding the program rapidly. In 2025, the organization donated 25 microchip scanners to law enforcement around the state. In 2026, they've already donated seven in just the first month.
But it all starts with microchipping your pet — an investment that should cost less than $100. If they go missing, this technology can make finding them much easier and much faster.
"The more that we can keep families together, keep people with their pets, the better everybody is," Pobloskie said. "That animal doesn't need a new home. It just needs to go back home. And the quicker we can facilitate that, the better it is for everybody."
Pet owners can get their animals microchipped at local shelters, veterinarian offices, or special low-cost clinic events. Pobloskie recommends having both a visible ID tag and a microchip for maximum protection.
"Having that technology would really help relieve the stress," Pinkert said.
More on Lost Dogs of Wisconsin: https://www.lostdogsofwisconsin.org/
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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