Bill Requiring Mandatory Microchipping For Dogs and Cats Approved By Full Assembly In CA; Next Step Senate Floor

Legislation that will save thousands of pets’ lives and make it easier for guardians to locate their lost dog or cat has been approved by the full Assembly on a landslide vote of 76-0 and will now head to the Senate Floor for concurrence. Senate Bill 64 would require municipal and private animal shelters to microchip dogs and cats with owner information prior to adoption or when reclaimed by their family.

The legislation would save taxpayer dollars by reducing the number of dogs and cats housed and / or euthanized in animal shelters.

The Pet Microchipping Bill, authored by Senator Ling Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar) and sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation (SCIL), breezed through the Assembly Floor yesterday on a 76-0 vote and now is just one step away from the Governor’s desk.

“SB 64 makes it abundantly easier to reunite dogs and cats with their families,” said Senator Chang. “This bill can save hundreds of thousands of pets from being euthanized in our state each year. As today’s bipartisan vote shows, this is common sense legislation that will have a positive impact on our four-legged friends and their owners across California.”

“This bill is a win for animals, families and taxpayers,” said SCIL founder and CEO Judie Mancuso. “We love our pets and if they go missing it can have profound detrimental effects for their family, especially since their pet might be held at a faraway shelter and days away from being mistakenly euthanized. Microchipping is a simple, effective and inexpensive solution.”

Microchips are the most reliable source of identification for animals. When a pet is found by an animal shelter or vet, a scanner can detect the unique ID number that leads to the guardian’s contact information.

More than a half a million dogs and cats are brought into California shelters each year, with more than half euthanized. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats in shelters without identification are reunited with their owners. On a national basis, according to the American Humane Society, approximately 10 million pets are lost each year in the United States and more than 6 million animals wind up in the nation’s animal shelters. California starting the trend of mandatory microchipping is a much-needed step in ending this crisis.

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