The California Legislature is considering a bill that would force the owners of dogs and cats in that state to have a microchip inserted into their pets and entered into a national database at the Department of Food and Agriculture.

A Microchip For Every Pet?

The California Legislature is considering a bill that would force the owners of dogs and cats in that state to have a microchip inserted into their pets and entered into a national database at the Department of Food and Agriculture. We didn't make this up. The bill, intended to help owners find their lost or kidnapped animals, would make it unlawful for any person to own a dog or cat over the age of 4 months unless it has had a microchip implanted.

The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Jack O'Connell (D-Santa Barbara), says the cost to pet owners would be between 12 and 30 dollars. O'Connell claims the law ultimately would save money since fewer lost or abandoned pets would need to be sheltered or destroyed.

Spokespersons for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) were quick to support the bill, despite obvious privacy and other concerns. PETA feels a national database containing the names of pets and their owners would be a good thing, and would help force careless owners to take responsibility for allowing their animals to get loose. PETA also happily points out that the system could be used to force pet owners to adhere to guidelines regarding spaying and neutering their animals. And, they say the national database would allow pet owners to move to another state and continue to be tracked.

Yet why stop there? Surely the California Legislature can find a way to use the new technology to track pet assaults on fire hydrants back to the guilty party's owners and fine them appropriately, perhaps by e-mail. The opportunities are limitless.

We're glad there's nothing more important for the California Legislature to be concerning itself with -- like the full-scale energy crisis plaguing the state that, as we recall, is partially a result of previous legislative action.

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