Microchip data for tens of thousands of Australian pets at risk as company goes dark

[Boronia]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-11/microchip-data-doubt-for-tens-of-thousands-of-pets/104921828

 

Microchip data for tens of thousands of Australian pets at risk as company goes dark

• By Georgie Burgess

•  

11h ago11 hours ago

A microchip and registry company used by vets and animal shelters has not been contactable since December. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)

In short:

A microchip registry company used by vets and shelters around Australia has stopped operations, with a warning its website might go offline.

The identification data of tens of thousands of pets will no longer work if not transferred to another provider.

What's next?

A vet and cat shelter are urging owners of pets registered with HomeSafeID to transfer to another provider.

The microchip data of tens of thousands of pets across Australia is in doubt, with a major registration provider stopping operations and a warning animals could become untraceable.

HomeSafeID, a microchip and registry company used by vets and animal shelters since 2009, has not been contactable since December.

A warning on the home page of its website states that the company is "no longer communicating or paying for the hosting of this site, and so this site is likely to go offline in the future".

"You may want to investigate alternatives to your pet's registration, as once this site goes offline the registration data will no longer be available online or searchable via [microchip search engine] PetAddress," it reads.

The HomeSafeID website showing the warning. (ABC News)

Tens of thousands of pets are expected to be affected by microchip and registry company HomeSafeID stopping operations. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)

Canberra-based vet Dr Michael Hayward, who is a spokesperson for the Australian Veterinary Association, said tens of thousands of animals would be affected if the website went offline.

"In that event, veterinarians, animal shelters, local pounds, local governments and all other interested parties will not be able to identify an animal based on its microchip number,"

Dr Hayward said.

In Victoria, legislation prevents pet data being moved from one database to another, and microchip registries must be licensed with that state's Agriculture Department.

The Victorian government has de-listed HomeSafeID as an approved animal registry, which means it is legal for a pet owner to transfer data to another approved registry.

The Victorian Agriculture Department website said pet owners would be contacted if they were registered with HomeSafeID.

Tough cat laws

 

Photo shows Feral cat walking in dirt in the dark

Cat owners on Bruny Island who let their cats stray could be slapped with hefty fines under Tasmania's toughest new management laws.

Dr Hayward said the Victorian and Queensland governments kept data and may make it available to another provider.

"We don't know when that will occur. This issue has been brewing for months and the Victorian government hasn't announced what it will do with the data," he said.

"In the meantime, the logical course of action is that owners who wish to ensure their pet is recoverable in the event it goes missing should consider registering their pet and its microchip number with one of the other national private databases."

Shelter's letters returned to sender

Hobart cat shelter Ten Lives has used HomeSafeID since 2017, and has micro-chipped 9,000 cats during that time.

Ten Lives has been forced to change providers after losing contact with the company.

It is leading the way with informing cat owners about the issue.

Ten Lives president Paula Wriedt said the shelter had made inquiries to ASIC but had been unable to confirm the company's status.

"Letters sent to the director's address have been returned to sender,"

Ms Wreidt said.

"We are still investigating the matter, but we are not optimistic.

"This means our adoption clients may not have a current, searchable microchip registration sometime in the near future."

Paula Wreidt says Ten Lives cat shelter in Hobart is still investigating the matter, but isn't optimistic. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)

Ms Wriedt said Ten Lives had been speaking to other providers that were offering registry services for free, and was publishing details on its website.

Registries generally charge $12-$15 to transfer data.

Ms Wriedt said it was a reminder for all pet owners to make sure their pet's microchip details were up to date.

"This is a great opportunity for those clients who have had cats from Ten Lives for a number of years, and who may have moved house in that time, to change to a new provider, but also to update their address details," she said.

"Because when your cat gets lost, you want to be reunited with it as quickly as possible."

Ten Lives in Hobart says its adoption clients "may not have a current, searchable microchip registration sometime in the near future". (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)

Dr Hayward said the issue highlighted the need for a central system.

"There is a national database that applies to livestock, but as is so often the case, issues relating to dogs and cats fall between the cracks and are legislated at a state government and local government level.

"There is no single responsible minister at a national level for these issues.

"It's left to the individual state and territories and sometimes individual local governments to manage these problems and that's a very unsatisfactory situation."

There are calls for a single, national database for microchip data. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)

RSPCA advice for pet owners

RSPCA Australia said in most states and territories it was mandatory for cats and dogs to be microchipped.

A spokesperson said in Australia there were five private and two state government pet microchip registries.

"In some jurisdictions, like Victoria, your government authority may be in contact with you directly if your pet is registered with HomeSafe ID to assist you," the spokesperson said.

Pet owners who can't find their pet's details when searching PetAddress are advised to contact their vet or microchip implanter. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)

The RSPCA advises people to search PetAddress using your pet's microchip number.

"PetAddress searches the Australasian Animal Registry, Central Animal Records, and PetSafe and, if your pet's microchip is registered on one of these, it will redirect you to the database that lists your pet's microchip number so that you may contact them directly."

"If you cannot find your pet's registry by searching on PetAddress, you may like to contact your vet or microchip implanter to find out which database your pet is listed in.

"While currently these pet registrations are managed differently in some jurisdictions, the RSPCA advocates for the regulation and adoption of a nationally consistent protocol for the electronic identification of companion animals under state and territory legislation."

[asal]

how much would it cost to preserve the site and access?  cheap at half the price surely?

 

pity it could not be listed for  preservation as an historical site?

 

my friend monique created a webpage s on the free geocities site about 2000 or earlier.  when geocities shut down someone somewhere decided all this information was of historical interest and it is still there to be found, as apparently are hundreds of others.  So it can be done.

 

no idea how as I only learned it still existed by sheer accident.

 

see, its 3rd one down, geocities ?  so it can be done wish I knew who has that power.  Its what we need to preserve the "HomeSafeID," website and access  

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=mindari+stud+australia&rlz=1C1GGRV_enAU753AU753&oq=mindari+stud+australia&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyCQgDECEYChigAdIBCjI0NjMzajBqMTWoAgiwAgHxBbBkH2eFk_oO&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

check out page 33 of the contents page.  Learn some incredible history about our Australian light horse we never learned in history class at school, 

 

if a page is obscured by those mongrel adds, if you click on the highlight button u use when you want to copy and paste it will appear over the add and easy to read, its all copy and paste able to your Microsoft word pages if you want to save a copy

 

 

saving the link to the page you are reading often gets you redirected to other sites, so easier to get direct access by the link I have pasted.

 

also typing "kars brumbies" into google search also works to get the geocities link.  no idea why these two links work way easier

Edited February 11 by asal