Microchips provide unique and safe permanent identification for pets and help to reunite lost animals with their families.
“Unlike collars and tags that can fall off, and tattoos that can fade or be altered, microchips provide unique, permanent identification for pets” explains Priscilla Cheung, manager of the BC Pet Registry program. “Dogs with microchips are two to three times more likely to be returned to their owner, and cats with microchips are up to 20 times more likely to be returned!”
When a caring person found poor Norman out by himself in a storm, they took him straight to a BC SPCA Community Animal Centre where he could be scanned for a microchip. Thankfully, Norman’s chip was registered and up to date, leading to a heartwarming reunion with his worried family and a safe return home within just a few hours of being lost.
Microchips can also help responsible breeders maintain accurate health records and be used to track disease outbreaks and animals with inheritable disorders. Many other places, including the United Kingdom, most of the European Union, Japan, parts of Australia and the City of Montreal now require cats and dogs to be microchipped.
We’ve asked B.C.’s political parties to require that all cats and dogs bred, brokered, sold and owned in our province be identified with a microchip registered in an internationally recognized database.
Find out more about microchips and the BC Pet Registry.
Will you advocate for permanent pet identification in the upcoming election?
Please share this campaign and ask others to sign up to demonstrate their support. Those who sign up will receive more information about each platform issue over the summer, and tools to help advocate directly to election candidates in the fall.