Many MOL petrol stations now feature free dog-chip scanners, helping owners find their lost pets. Some 700-800 animals are returned to their houses every years thanks to microchips in their collar and now this number should only increase with 153 MOL garages involved in the scheme.
Hungarian oil company MOL began co-operation with the Vigyél Haza (‘Take Them Home’) Foundation in 2018, and since then it has been installing chip scanners at more and more of its petrol stations. In recent years, hundreds of dogs have been taken home to their owners.
Home sweet home
“Nowadays, almost anywhere in the country, you can be sure that there is a petrol station near you where we can help stray animals,” says MOL spokesperson Piroska Bakos.
After the microchip has been read, staff at the garage call a veterinarian
volunteer of Vigyél Haza, who checks the data of the animal's owner in the
online database and then contacts them so that the stray pet can return home.
If the dog does not have a microchip, or if it has not been registered, the
nearest shelter and animal protection organisation will be notified, who will
arrange for the animal to be secure and handed to a new owner.
Garages equipped with chip readers are marked with a characteristic sticker – a list of stations can be found on the MOL site.
