Typically found in veterinary offices and animal shelters, a pet microchip scanner can quickly help someone who’s found a stray animal—if it’s been microchipped—arrange a reunion with its owner.
Although its availability is limited by working hours, staffing, and other factors tied to locations that carry scanners, the Santa Barbara Animal Care Foundation (SBACF) is currently aiming to eliminate some of those barriers with a new countywide initiative.
On Jan. 8, Buellton became the first Santa Barbara County city to formally commit to the program, which entails the installation of outdoor “do-it-yourself” pet microchip scanner stations, with 24/7 availability for the public to use when needed.
“Obviously a lot of stray animals are found in the evenings,” Buellton City Councilmember Carla Mead said at the council’s Jan. 8 meeting.
As the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society’s board chair, Mead spoke from personal experience about the intake shelter’s microchip scanner, located inside the office for staff use during regular business hours.
“We’re only open from 8 to 5. … If you found a dog at 7 at night and drove it there, no one’s there to help you,” Mead said. “That’s why, in my opinion, these are important because we are trying to limit barriers … for people to do the right thing.”
Mead also noted that the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society is what’s known as a managed intake shelter, meant to prevent overcrowding at county shelters, but not technically equipped to take in stray animals from the public. The closest shelters to Buellton are in Lompoc, Santa Maria, and Santa Barbara.
The council ultimately agreed to purchase five microchip scanners, as well as plastic housing materials to contain them wherever the city decides to mount them, from SBACF for $1,000 (at $250 per station). SBACF offered the fifth to Buellton for free.
“If the council wanted to authorize the placement of at least one of these, … we can expedite this and be the first city in the county to post one of these,” City Manager Scott Wolfe told the council.
Councilmember Elysia Lewis suggested starting with installing a scanner station at Buellton’s off-leash dog park, PAWS Park on Dawn Drive, “so that we can beat everyone else and say we did it first.”
SBACF staff told Buellton officials that it was currently in talks with Santa Maria, Lompoc, Guadalupe, and New Cuyama about the new scanner program.
With a 5-0 vote, the Buellton City Council agreed to post its first three outdoor scanning stations at PAWS Park, outside of Buellton City Hall, and the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society.
“We’ll bring back a list of proposed sites,” Wolfe said, referring to options for the council to consider installing the two remaining scanner posts.
This article appears in January 15 – January 22, 2026.