Pet Detective Calls for National Microchipping Registry. ABC News 15/9/24

[Deeds]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-15/pet-detective-calls-for-national-microchipping-registry/104337884

[asal]

its interesting that although this is one continent, supposedly, one nation, yet NOT a National pet register data base?

 

only one reason for that,  to enable thieves to take their stolen animals interstate and resell.  A fact pet rescues have profited from for decades, buy from one state and ship and sell in another,  been happening for decades despite heartbroken owners have been asking for a national data base for decades after some did discover their pet now registered to someone else interstate after seeing their photos online.

 

as for the millions invested when EI landed here and tens of thousands or was it hundreds of thousands of horses microchipped and data based.   within months of EI declared eradicated.

 

There listed on greys online were millions of dollars worth listed for sale at the loss of millions and the entire data base wiped?

 

before they wiped all that data base you could trace all those horses directly to their owners if any were lost.

 

equally any stolen horses consigned to sales or slaughter could be directedly traced to their real owner and show up the seller was nt their legal owner!

 

the horse theft market is huge.  I saw many sold I later found out had been stolen. well remember two stunning mares that I knew on sight were pure arabians, found out 4 days later they had been stolen and told the owner the dogger who bought them.  sadly she took another week to contact him and both were dead by then although he still had their hides so their brands could have been traced to the seller. but the auctioneer for some reason claimed they had no way to trace the seller as they had not listed the brands on the invoices?

 

if the data base had been retained the scanning of all at a sale would have revealed when seller name and registered owner didn't match.  But that never eventuated because why??????????

 

at the time I suspected too many did not want the booming trade stopped let alone traceability to the thieves, same with the dogs.

 

never ceases to amaze me, the majority of vets dont routinely scan and record every new patient that comes into their surgery?

 

hello? its been law, all must be chipped for how many decades now????

Edited September 22 by asal

[tdierikx]

Unfortunately, animal welfare laws are decided at state level in Australia, so each state sets it's own rules and regulations. Each state enacted the compulsory microchipping of pets in different years (eg. SA was as late as 2018). Note: NT does not have state based legislation regarding microchipping, but some local councils have introduced it in their by-laws.

 

See the following page for each state's requirements and when they started...

https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/is-microchipping-mandatory-for-cats-and-dogs/

 

And each state that does have mandatory chipping has it's own registry and requirements as to what information is contained in it. This means that each database is set up differently, and would be a nightmare to try to merge them all into one central national database. A smarter move would be to set up a single login site that can search all states' databases by microchip number and to return info on which registry that chip is active in - those fields would be the same in all registries. Once that info has been found, then a request to that state's registry could be made for owner details.

 

Right now, what happens in NSW is that NSW CAR is checked for the chip number found in a lost/found dog or cat, and if it doesn't return owner details, then that chip is deemed as empty and ownership can be transferred to whoever has the dog/cat. The fact that the chip may actually hold owner details in another state is essentially ignored. I'd say that this would be the same for other states too.

 

Despite the fact that in most states microchipping is compulsory, it obviously can't be enforced unless an animal is found without a chip, and the owner has come forward to reclaim it. A huge number of dogs and cats in pounds do not have a microchip, so that shows how well the message is getting through to owners about their legal obligation there. Same goes for registering dogs/cats with councils... if they aren't chipped, then they aren't registered either.

 

T.

[Rebanne]

I consider the fact that racing Greyhounds have their own registry are right royal pain in the ****

 

My show Greys were/are all registered on an Australian wide data base but my race bred girl is on the GRV data base. One can only hope that it is Aus wide considering we live very close to a state border. When I was checking Nell's chip had been transferred into my name the girl was going to look up the racing registry. Wouldn't have found Nell there. So if Phoebe ends up at the pound will all databases be checked or only the racing one?

[Papillon Kisses]

Are you unable to add your race bred girl to a national registry as well? I had Malcolm on both NSW & CAR. Just need to remember to update both if your details change.

[Rebanne]

2 hours ago, Papillon Kisses said:

Are you unable to add your race bred girl to a national registry as well? I had Malcolm on both NSW & CAR. Just need to remember to update both if your details change.

not as far as I know. I will ask my vet next time I have Rose there but I thought the rules had changed to only allow a dog on one registry.

[tdierikx]

11 hours ago, Papillon Kisses said:

Are you unable to add your race bred girl to a national registry as well? I had Malcolm on both NSW & CAR. Just need to remember to update both if your details change.

 

In Victoria, didn't they enact new sections to the Domestic Animals Act 1994 regarding whole of life tracking for racing greyhounds? Was in 2023 I believe. That may make it difficult to move a racing bred greyhound to a domestic pet register.

 

T.

[Rebanne]

On 25/09/2024 at 4:47 AM, tdierikx said:

 

In Victoria, didn't they enact new sections to the Domestic Animals Act 1994 regarding whole of life tracking for racing greyhounds? Was in 2023 I believe. That may make it difficult to move a racing bred greyhound to a domestic pet register.

 

T.

if I could I'd have Rose on both. Phoebe could be at risk too as if they only look on the racing registry she won't be there. Luckily I have the place locked up tighter then Fort Knox. Odds of it happening would be very low but it is a bit of a concern.

[PercyWilliams]

On 23/09/2024 at 1:13 AM, tdierikx said:

Unfortunately, animal welfare laws are decided at state level in Australia, so each state sets it's own rules and regulations. Each state enacted the compulsory microchipping of pets in different years (eg. SA was as late as 2018). Note: NT does not have state based legislation regarding microchipping, but some local councils have introduced it in their by-laws.

 

See the following page for each state's requirements and when they started...

https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/is-microchipping-mandatory-for-cats-and-dogs/

 

And each state that does have mandatory chipping has it's own registry and requirements as to what information is contained in it. This means that each database is set up differently, and would be a nightmare to try to merge them all into one central national database. A smarter move would be to set up a single login site that can search all states' databases by microchip number and to return info on which registry that chip is active in - those fields would be the same in all registries. Once that info has been found, then a request to that state's registry could be made for owner details.

 

Right now, what happens in NSW is that NSW CAR is checked for the chip number found in a lost/found dog or cat, and if it doesn't return owner details, then that chip is deemed as empty and ownership can be transferred to whoever has the dog/cat. The fact that the chip may actually hold owner details in another state is essentially ignored. I'd say that this would be the same for other states too.

 

Despite the fact that in most states microchipping is compulsory, it obviously can't be enforced unless an animal is found without a chip, and the owner has come forward to reclaim it. A huge number of dogs and cats in pounds do not have a microchip, so that shows how well the message is getting through to owners about their legal obligation there. Same goes for registering dogs/cats with councils... if they aren't chipped, then they aren't registered either.

 

T.

Thank you, I didn't know it before.

[sandgrubber]

One more reason to choose NZ over Oz.  Laws are national here.

 

But I wish cats were required to be microchipped, so farels could be humanely killed without worrying about killing someone's beloved pet.  Would also be good if a tattoo or some other permanent mark were used to identify neutered girls (in the US, it's simply dye inserted in the spey incision at trivial cost), so rescues wouldn't find they were doing an unnecessary spey.

 

Btw. I don't trust microchips.  When I lived in WA, I had a chipped pup go missing and nearly lost him because the chip had migrated and Animal Control didn't find it 

Edited October 9 by sandgrubber

[Mairead]

My desexed female cats have had a tattoo in the ear, (circle with a line through it,) although someone would need to know where to look. 

Still, a bit of Sydney street cred for them.

I wonder if vasectomised  and tubal ligation dogs have a tattoo? 

[tdierikx]

20 hours ago, sandgrubber said:

Btw. I don't trust microchips.  When I lived in WA, I had a chipped pup go missing and nearly lost him because the chip had migrated and Animal Control didn't find it

 

My current foster dog has 2 microchips, as AWL didn't find the original one when they first scanned her... that one is near her right elbow and seems to be faulty and hard to get a reading from, but it is there if she is scanned all over. So both chips have apparently been linked in the NSW registry, but she will now come to her new owner with 2 change of owner forms so that both chip entries will need to be updated when she is rehomed.

 

20 hours ago, sandgrubber said:

But I wish cats were required to be microchipped,

 

In NSW, Victoria and a couple other states cats ARE required to be microchipped, and have been for quite some years. The problem is that it is almost impossible to enforce it. The only way that it could be enforced is for the authorities to doorknock everyone and demand to scan all pets on the property... and do we think that we want that to happen? That said, I think one council area in Queensland was proposing to do exactly that... and I don't think it went down well. Possibly it was scrapped due to residents loudly rejecting the proposal, as I haven't heard any news on it actually happening.

 

15 hours ago, Mairead said:

My desexed female cats have had a tattoo in the ear, (circle with a line through it,) although someone would need to know where to look.

 

Tattoos are all well and good on an ear that is relatively hair free and pale skinned, but are hard to find on animals with hairy ears or dark skin colours. Tattoos can also fade over time, so an older cat's tattoo may not necessarily be easy to find either.

 

With cats, being desexed and microchipped still doesn't make them immune from killing wildlife, or falling victim to urban life (cars, dogs, nasty people, illness/injury, etc)... so it's also best to keep them contained to their owners' properties, yes?

 

Also, a desexed cat might not necessarily be "owned" by anyone... TNR programs done on street cat colonies confuses that assumption.

 

As for rescues not knowing whether an animal is desexed or not, a simple ultrasound will suffice to confirm the existence of reproductive organs. I don't think too may rescue animals have had tubal ligations or vasectomies...

 

T.

[Mairead]

There is at least one breeder on this site who does vasectomies and tubal ligations, it was in the ad. So rare but possible, lost dog ends up in rescue.

[tdierikx]

20 hours ago, Mairead said:

There is at least one breeder on this site who does vasectomies and tubal ligations, it was in the ad. So rare but possible, lost dog ends up in rescue.

 

Generally, a person that goes to the effort of getting tubal ligations or vasectomies on their dogs has also gone to the effort of microchipping and registering them, yes? And so any rescue that might end up with one of those dogs would have the info that they are desexed from either of those 2 identification methods, wouldn't you think? It would be a VERY rare occasion that it was completely unknown that a dog had had either procedure when they entered the rescue realm.

 

T.

[sandgrubber]

On 11/10/2024 at 8:02 AM, tdierikx said:

As for rescues not knowing whether an animal is desexed or not, a simple ultrasound will suffice to confirm the existence of reproductive organs. I don't think too may rescue animals have had tubal ligations or vasectomies...

Most rescues don't have an ultrasound.  Many vets tack on a charge for doing an ultrasound.  The practice of inserting some dye into the surgery wound works well where it's used.  If not visible initially, it will be after shaving for surgery prep.

[tdierikx]

21 hours ago, sandgrubber said:

Most rescues don't have an ultrasound.  Many vets tack on a charge for doing an ultrasound.  The practice of inserting some dye into the surgery wound works well where it's used.  If not visible initially, it will be after shaving for surgery prep.

 

I agree that a dye in a surgical incision may work, but until that is suggested and then enacted across the board, an ultrasound is the least intrusive way to tell, yes? Opening up a dog and finding the surgery has already been done is much more stressful on a dog's system, and will also attract a surgical fee and post op care/meds fees. Not to mention those where shaving is needed to find a dyed scar, generally a dog is sedated/anaesthetised for surgery before the shaving is done, so will attract fees for that too. For a male that may have undescended testicles, those will show on an xray also.

 

T.

[Papillon Kisses]

Would it show on blood tests?

[tdierikx]

16 hours ago, Papillon Kisses said:

Would it show on blood tests?

 

Not really, as there could be other conditions that may create low testosterone or estrogen levels.

 

T.