High-Tech Connection to Fido

As anyone with a pet for a master knows, dogs and cats can be too smart for their own good, finding clever ways to slip out of the house or the backyard to go exploring. That’s why a high-tech program that seeks to ensure the safe return of wandering pets deserves the support of the Los Angeles City Council--and of pet owners.

The Department of Animal Services wants to implant in pets a microchip the size of a grain of rice that stores the name, address and phone number of the owner--all of which can be read with a scanning device similar to those at supermarket checkouts. The idea: to reduce the number of animals put to death every year. Last year, the department killed 60,000 lost or unwanted animals, more than 70% of all those impounded.

The implant program would cost taxpayers nothing, but it promises much. Similar programs in Ventura County and San Diego have increased the number of reunions between lost pets and their owners.

All six city animal shelters would have scanners. Pets adopted from the pound would receive the implants, hiking by $15 the cost to the new owners, now $74 for dogs and $50 for cats. Any owner could have a pet undergo the same painless procedure at a city facility for $20--about half what veterinarians charge. The implants are not intended to replace the ID tags and collars many pets already wear.

Despite the Orwellian overtones of a system that might seem a little like a canine LoJack, the implants promise a cheap, efficient way to keep many people’s best friends safe.