Many cities have started enforcing ordinances which force people to microchip their pets. While the idea of having your pet “chipped” may seem like a great idea, in many cases there have been several issues regarding the effectiveness of the microchip. Microchip companies have led people to believe that if their microchips are the best method to reuniting pets with their owners. The sad reality is that in most cases, even pets who have been given a microchip will never make it back home.
Pets are considered “property” under the law which means it should be the choice of the owner whether or not to microchip a pet. There are several health risks involved with microchips, not to mention the fact that thieves have become very intelligent in learning ways to deactivate microchips so that they will no longer scan. The fact that many shelters have started enforcing this under their city ordinance is wrong! The fact that shelters are forcing people to microchip their pets is wrong! Animals are rarely protected with microchips because dishonest people have found ways to get the chips changed or deactivated.
I researched many situations involving microchip companies and spoke with a representative from “Home Again” (a major marketing company for microchips). Surprisingly, the information that was stated to me was entirely shocking. “Home Again” has stated that a microchip is not an owner identification service. However, the terms of service for “Home Again” specifically states that a pet will be linked to their owner forever! While their company seems like it is one of the most beneficial solutions to keeping your pets safe, many others would think differently.
Several consumers of the microchips from “Home Again” have stated that this company in particular has changed microchips on pets without ever speaking with the actual owner of the pet in question before doing so. Interestingly enough, after consulting with “Home Again” about this issue it was stated that the word of a rescue or a shelter overrides that of an owner. This is not only disappointing, but it is highly unethical, illegal and quite frankly it is a contributing factor to theft as opposed to a prevention. The microchip that was implanted which is supposed to protect an owner’s pet from being lost or stolen was actually pointless.
Corrupt rescuers or shelter workers are able to call “Home Again” and state that a dog was “seized” or “abandoned” and are simply asked to provide paperwork and miraculously without any knowledge of the owner a chip is changed. A dishonest worker in a shelter or a rescue could easily write up fraudulent documentation stating that an animal was seized when they actually were not to either keep the dog for themselves, to sell them for a profit, or they simply do not like someone and want to keep the animal from ever going back home. The problem with this is there are so many lost or stolen pets that owners may never be told were found due to the way this company runs its business.
Shelters are so adamant about enforcing microchips which are ultimately very costly and have absolutely no guarantee in ensuring the safety of your pet from being stolen. Yet shelters and rescuers are still insisting that people must microchip their pets even though many cases have proven microchips to be ineffective.
It is becoming more common for microchip companies to change microchips without ever consulting with the original pet owner! Meanwhile, we are seeing shelters push and push people and enforce ordinances forcing people to pay for microchips. Unfortunately, time and time again people are still having pets stolen through negligence to verify proper ownership of pets. No one wants to pay money for a service they are led to believe is something that it is not. In actuality, people are literally throwing their money down the drain rather than getting the service they paid for.
If a person pays to microchip their pet, they did so thinking they could be identified as the owner, and linked to their pet in instances where they are lost or stolen. Absolutely no one should be able to change any information on a microchip for any reason without making all attempts to contact the owner. It is apparent that the enforcement of microchips has formed into a political scam which obviously works very well at getting shelters and rescues a ton of money as well as these microchip companies.
Aside from all of the corruption that occurs between shelters, rescues and microchip companies there are other factors which should allow an owner to choose if they want to microchip their pet. Microchips have a tendency to stop working overtime. If a chip moves to far away from the injection site, it can become unreadable which decreases the chance of the pet making it home greatly.
Thieves have become very good at destroying microchips while they are still embedded within pets through various methods. Some theft even occurs at the veterinary level where shelters have talked veterinarians into removing microchips from animals. There is a lot of theft occurring in raid and seizure cases through the utilization of these methods.
Microchips have been reported to have health risks of cancer, tumors, cysts, and in some cases have even cause paralysis and death in pets. With all of these possible risks being a factor in affecting the health of animals involved, an owner should be allowed to choose if they want to have a foreign object placed in their pet. Hypothetically, if we allow the government agencies to force us to microchip our pets, they will start taking other rights and twisting them to enforce other ridiculous ordinances and laws. The next thing you know, everyone is going to be forced to drive the same car, paint their house the same color, and many other things will be enforced all because it was allowed to be enforced.
Educating the public about the dangers of microchips, and ensuring that the public is allowed to choose whether they microchip their pets is just as important as any other “laws” you are subjected to following. It should also be a choice of the pet owner if they do choose to microchip their pets to choose which company they want to use to provide this service. In turn, those companies also have an obligation to be completely honest with the consumer by ensuring that the terms of service is clearly defined.
Many people would agree that if microchips for pets are supposed to protect the pets from being lost or stolen, they should also protect the owner fighting to get them back home. Pet owners should never have to worry about a microchip being changed without their consent. Remember the risks involved with microchips, but most importantly never give up your right to choose!
-Ashley Nicole
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