Microchipping

[Michael Romanos]

If any Corgi should be microchipped it's Chip. It's ok as long as we don't all have to keep chipping away at it.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by GC Admin

I wonder how much it's going to cost to microchip people.

It is already afoot and there have been a few volunteers. I am fully supportive of microchips as an OWNER'S CHOICE for helping to identify their pet. I am adamantly opposed to it being legislated and mandated by law. So far I have heard of no reactions to implanted chips, but that is not to say there hasn't been one or that there won't be one or more. Just as some humans are allergic to certain metals, it is conceivable that an animal might have a similar reaction.

In some ways I think microchips offer something of a false sense of security. There are still shelters which do not have universal scanners. And even though a shelter might have a scanner one should not take for granted that the effort will be made to use it, batteries go dead and are not replaced - all kinds of things can and do happen. Additionally chips can migrate and even sometimes fail, so it is a good precaution to have one's vet periodically check the chip to make sure it is still in the same place and that it is still readable.

Debbie

[Michael Romanos]

Yes Debbie, microchipping dogs should be voluntary only apart from when a dog is declared dangerous via existing legislation or by the courts.
This might yet happen in New Zealand given time or a change of Government.

[darci]

Big brother is always finding more ways to watch.

I dont want any more laws telling me what I can and cant do, that is not to say that I dont think microchipping our animals is good, I too think its good.
I just want a choice in the matter.

[Michael Romanos]

Here is one for those who volunteer or are forced by law to get their Corgi microchipped:

There is a 10 percent chance that the inserted microchip will move around inside the Corgis skin, to a position where the chip cannot be located by a scanner.

So the system is not a guaranteed safety measure - and I wouldn't think the vet will insert another chip free of charge. It pays therefore to have your mcrochipped Corgi checked from time to time to ensure the chip is in the correct area for scanning purposes.

[Jespah]

Microchipping is a safe way of ensuring peace of mind and I have my vet check it when we have our annual exam. Our dog licences are discounted based on spaying, neutering and microchipping - that's the way for government to do it!
I have found numerous dogs and cats over the years and always take them to my vets to check for a microchip - have found a few their homes much quicker that way. (Even found an injured racing pigeon and tracked down his owner by the band on his leg.)
Another sad, yet good thing is that cats and dogs that are found dead by city are checked for microchips so the owner can be notified. Although, it would be a horrible phone call to get, it's better to know what happened to your pet than spending the rest of your life wondering.

[Jeni D]

Dudley gets neutered on the 8th and will be microchipped at the same time. While I know this is not a fool-proof method, it's worth it to me just to know that there is a greater chance of finding Dud should he ever be lost.
I definitely don't think the government should be able to make this a mandatory procedure. What I do with my dog should be my business, and no one elses.

[CorgiMum]

deleted...

[Michael Romanos]

It's dog registration ( annual licence) season here in New Zealand. The fees are high and vary according to fixed or unfixed, working dog or pet, and when you pay the bill. So the SPCA centres are getting a lot of unwanted dogs because of these fees. Now on top of it, there is the intro of micrchipping and its associated costs. Do our local councils give a registration discount for microchipped dogs? No. But they should. In fact registration fees should be very low - especially for the one dog owners. As I have previously stated, Governments should be promoting dog ownership in the first instance, and proper care and attention of dogs as the next step. But these fees and other fees just create the kind of things that go on in the USA and NZ and in most other parts of the world.
I am most reluctant to pay for anything like this. To me it is simply a tax.