City to Start Implanting Microchips to Trace Pets

Los Angeles’ top animal control officer announced Wednesday that his agency will begin implanting identity microchips in dogs and cats at city shelters in June, after criticism of a two-year delay in that program to save pets.

The city will implant the devices--each the size of a grain of rice--in the necks of all cats and dogs that are adopted, charging $15. Owners claiming lost pets may pay $25 for the implants, and residents may take their animals to a shelter for the procedure for $25.

A microchip allows immediate identification of the owner when an electronic sensor is passed over the implant.

“It will reunite animals with their owners,” said Dan Knapp, general manager of the city Animal Services Department. “If an owner ever loses a pet and it comes to the shelter, we will know who it belongs to.”

The program was approved by the City Council in 1998. But until now, a lack of staff and computer software has prevented the Animal Services Department from starting, Knapp said.

“We couldn’t [ensure] there would be the staffing to do the chipping,” Knapp said. “But we have been able to hire extra staff and we now have the software, so we are ready to begin the program.”

Knapp’s comments were made in an interview at Wednesday’s meeting of the Los Angeles City Council, which had been scheduled to vote on a motion demanding an immediate start for the program.

With Knapp promising an end to delays, the council postponed action on the measure, which was sponsored by Hal Bernson after The Times reported on the two-year delay.

“They have just been dragging their feet,” Bernson said Wednesday. “It’s about time that they get started.”

About 47,000 dogs and cats were killed last year at city shelters because they were unclaimed, not adopted or had medical problems.

The city will contract with American Veterinary Identification Devices to provide chips and scanners and to oversee the program.

A spokesman for the company, Mike Tuttle, said about 3 million animals nationwide have been implanted with such chips and approximately 7 million worldwide. The system is reuniting hundreds of pets with their owners every week in other Southland cities.

A sticking point in Los Angeles was a determination by Knapp’s agency that implanting the microchips was a medical procedure. Knapp said the California Veterinary Medical Board requires that medical procedures be supervised by a veterinarian.

Staff increases approved by the council have allowed Knapp to boost the work force to five veterinarians and 23 veterinary technicians, enough for the microchip program.

In addition, the department has obtained software to manage the program, Knapp said.

The Times quoted retired department workers and volunteers in January who suggested that some of the delay might be attributable to concerns that the $15 fee could discourage pet adoptions.

Bernson said he would press for an independent audit of Knapp’s department to look into complaints of overcrowding and delays in improvements.

“We need to find out what is wrong over there,” Bernson said.