BARC offering free microchips for pets
Houston is offering free microchips for dogs and cats before it begins enforcing a new ordinance that requires pets to have the identification devices.
City Council passed the law last year as part of broader effort to revise animals laws, but the city offered a yearlong grace period to educate residents about the new requirement. That ends Wednesday.
Pets owners in Houston already were required to register pets with the city and prove they have been vaccinated against rabies. The registration requirement historically has had low participation; city officials have estimated just 4 percent of Houston pets are registered.
The registration, microchip and vaccine requirements now form a three-step process to license a dog or cat with the city. Officials said that process helps protect and identify your pet if it is lost. The cost to register generally is $20 for neutered or spayed pets, and $60 for those that are not. It must be renewed every year at the same cost. It is $2 for a senior citizen, and free for service animals.
The city will offer free microchips from 8 to 10 a.m. Tuesday at its animal shelter on 3300 Carr Street. It will offer them during the same hours on Monday, Feb. 6, and Tuesday, Feb. 7. The city usually offers to install the devices for $15.
The microchips will enable animal control officers to return lost pets directly, without bringing them to a shelter first, according to Greg Damianoff, the shelter director for the city’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care.
“BARC knows you love your pets and want to make sure if they are ever lost or stolen, they can always come back home. Microchipping can make that happen. And it’s easy and inexpensive,” Damianoff said.
Enforcement of the microchip ordinance likely will be focused on pet dogs and cats that wind up in the city’s shelter. Residents may face a fine of $100 to $500 for failing to have an active registration, or owning a pet that does not have a microchip.
Officials say they hope more people will comply with the microchip requirement because it makes it more likely their dog or cat will be returned safely. San Antonio saw a sharp rise in its return-to-owner rate after implementing a similar measure.