KUCHING: The Sarawak Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) strongly supports the state government’s effort to make it compulsory to microchip all dogs.
Its president Dona Drury-Wee described the micro-chipping process as a ‘one-time thing’, inserted via injection into the skin between the shoulder blades.
According to her, it is about the size of a grain of rice, which should last for the whole life of the animal. It is not a GPS tracker and only has a serial number which can be read with a microchip scanner.
“The serial number will be registered with the owners so that if the dog is lost or stolen, it can be traced back to the owner,” she told New Sarawak Tribune when contacted.
“Thus, SSPCA hopes that the local councils will allow their microchip database to also include the vaccination status of the dogs, so that those animals with valid vaccinations can be returned to the owners within the 48 hours as stipulated in the council by laws,” she said.
This move, she said, would encourage more members of the public to have their pets’ microchipped and vaccinated annually with updated information being provided at each annual vaccination.
“If you wish to allow your dog to exercise outside of your own compound, it should be kept on a leash. Walking your dog will help you to reach your daily ‘steps goal’,” she advised.
She also hoped to see more public parks designated as dog parks, to allow owners to exercise their pets there, under their owner’s control.
Currently, microchips are only injected by the Department of Veterinary Services in Sarawak. Hence, SSPCA would like to see collaboration where private veterinary clinics can also assist in inserting the microchips when dogs are vaccinated against rabies at their clinics.
Wee mentioned that all dogs must be microchipped at the age of eight weeks, which is a requirement before they can be licensed in the United Kingdom (UK). She also added that some states in the USA have made microchipping mandatory. In Australia, cats and dogs must be microchipped when they are 12 weeks old, and fines and penalties will be imposed if pets are not microchipped and licensed.
She also highlighted that in Hong Kong, annual rabies tags are compulsory for all pet dogs to wear on their collars. This allows the public and council dog catchers to immediately see if a dog has been vaccinated against this deadly disease.
“Although microchipping is not a 100 percent guarantee that your pet can be traced, it will be your best measure for getting your pet back,” she added.
On Wednesday, Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian said the micro-chipping of pet dogs should be made compulsory instead of voluntary, in order to move forward and eliminate rabies completely.
He suggested amending the present ordinance so that pet dogs are not only licensed, but also micro-chipped to prevent the spread of rabies.
