Home California Bill to Mandate Pet Microchipping Signed by Governor Newsome

Bill to Mandate Pet Microchipping Signed by Governor Newsome

by ECT

On Friday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 573 by Senator Ling Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar) requiring shelters and animal control agencies to microchip all dogs and cats with current information before releasing them to adoptive owners or an owner seeking to reclaim them.

According to the bill, it would prohibit a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group from releasing a dog or cat to an owner seeking to reclaim it, or adopting out, selling, or giving away a dog or cat to a new owner, unless the dog or cat is or will be microchipped, as specified.

If the agency, shelter, or group does not have microchipping capability on location, the bill would require that the agency, shelter, or group make a good faith effort to locate available free or discounted regional microchipping services and provide that information to the owner or new owner. The bill would exempt from these microchipping requirements a dog or cat that is medically unfit for a microchipping procedure, or a dog or cat reclaimed or received by an owner who signs a form stating that the cost of microchipping would impose an economic hardship for the owner, as provided.

Under the bill, an agency, shelter, or group that violates these provisions on or after January 1, 2022, would be subject to a civil penalty of $100, except as specified.

More than 500,000 dogs and cats are brought into California shelters each year and more than half are euthanized. Only 15 percent of dogs and two percent of the cats in shelters without identification are ever reunited with their families.

You may also like

4 comments

Robert C. Sep 21, 2020 - 7:31 am

There is so much about California’s state government that needs real improvement – like the disasters that are DMV, EDD and Caltrans. Yet here we have Senator Ling Ling worried about putting chips in stray cats. Way to go.

Dawn Marie Sep 24, 2020 - 12:17 am

There are no “stray” cats. These are ABANDONED animals. Most abandoned by their owners. We are the stewards of these creatures. We domesticated them! We are responsible for them! So you seem to want to victimize these poor creatures even more? Shame on you!

Peter Langdon Sep 25, 2020 - 12:16 am

Why such hatred for cats, Robert C? What have they ever done to you?

Kurt Wecker Sep 28, 2020 - 5:23 am

As an animal observer, a big reason people don’t like cats (as a general rule) is because they expect cats to be overtly friendly and be submissive like dogs are around humans. Dogs are pack animals, and most dogs look for a pack leader and tend to be submissive and fall in line behind their leader. Cats, on the other hand, are naturally very independent and, as a species, they don’t respond to leaders (they live in groups with other cats, but generally are not followers, so they don’t need leaders. Dogs NEED leaders and respond to a heirarchy. Cats are far more self sufficient and need to be seen as equals, not as greater or lesser than others.

Comments are closed.