Recently Ohio has updated it’s dangerous dog law and now communities are making decisions on how to adjust their dog laws. A local newspaper article has made a few statements that I’m not so sure about. One of them is about microchips. The local laws previously required pit bulls to be microchipped. That part may soon be removed.
In the article, a comment is made about microchips, “Micro-chipping does help with tracking. Without the microchip, you lose the ability to track where animals are going.”
It’s a little unclear who made this quote, the previous quote is attributed to “the Newark Police Capt. Craig Riley.”
Griffin’s breeder microchips all puppies before they go home.
Microchips are not the same as a GPS. Many pet owners who are against microchips also have this misconception. A microchip is inserted under the skin. It can be scanned with a specialized scanner (some scanners are not universal, others are not) and a number comes up. That number then corresponds with an owner name and phone number in some sort of database. Veterinarians and many animal shelters have scanners and can check found pets. For some types of health tests, microchips are required and sometimes for international travel. For many high level dog events microchips are required to assure that the dog competing is the one who is supposed to be competing. Microchips have helped to return lost pets to their owners. Collars and tags can fall off. A microchip can sometimes (rarely?) move to a different part of the body, but is considered a form of permanent identification.
A microchip can help track changes in ownership. ONLY ifthe new owners contact the microchip company and add in their contact information. But microchips cannot track where an animal is literally walking around and moving. The newspaper is unclear what was meant with that quote and unfortunately readers may get some false ideas. I very much hope that the person who made the quote understands that microchips are not the same as a GPS. Regular veterinarians are not required to scan for microchips during exams. Animals are not required to have microchips when being rehomed within a state or crossing state lines. Microchips are not required to sell an animal. Microchips only can help track a dog if/when the dog is scanned for a microchip.