City might require microchip IDs for dogs

[bigdoglover]

Chicago-Sun Times

By Fran Spielman

Owners of Chicago's estimated 600,000 dogs would be required to microchip their pets, limit tethering, pay stiff fines for letting them roam free and choose between neutering and sharply higher license fees, under a sweeping crackdown proposed by an influential alderman.

Grooming, boarding and doggie day-care facilities would be licensed and subject to strict operating standards under the legislative package championed by License Committee Chairman Eugene Schulter (47th).

A lifelong dog lover whose deceased Irish terriers Kerry and Conner were "part of the family," Schulter said he's driven by a desire to "create a safer and better environment" for Chicago's dogs.

Never was that need more evident than 18 months ago, when a dozen dogs and four cats were discovered living in filth without food or water at an unattended boarding facility at Leland and Clark in Schulter's North Side ward.

That's when Schulter put his foot down. He convened a panel of 15 experts -- including veterinarians -- and asked them to come up with a massive rewrite of the city's animal-care ordinance that reins in irresponsible care that ultimately leads to aggressive behavior.

'Take better care of our dogs'



"We're setting up an infrastructure in our city to take better care of our dogs. People who don't, it sets a process in place, after repeat offenses, to take those dogs away from them and putting them in loving and caring environments," Schulter said. "In many areas of the city, we have a huge problem with dogs running wild and biting kids and adults. This will start to address some of those issues."

Initially, Schulter was planning to require identifying microchips, at a cost of $25, only for those dogs boarded at kennels. But, after Hurricane Katrina, he decided to broaden it to include all dogs six months or older. "There were so many dogs that were lost because they could not find pet owners. That has encouraged us to look at this more comprehensively" and require microchip scanners at kennels, Schulter said.

Steve Dale, a radio talk show host and longtime local activist on pet issues, said mandatory microchipping would help identify "repeat offender" dogs.

Equally important, Dale said, are the proposals to limit tethering -- which tends to cause aggressive behavior -- to three hours over a 24-hour period with food and water, and to increase tenfold -- to $50 -- the fee for licensing a non-neutered dog.

[elegy]

sounds good to me. i'd be more interested in identifying "repeat offender owners" than dogs, though.

i like the idea of chipping all dogs picked up as strays, especially if they're returned to their owners, at the owner's expense.

[bigdoglover]

Although, if the microchip is registered with the owners name, then the owners would pay the price.

And I agree with you....the owners should pay for the expense of picking up the dog (by the shelter etc) and for any boarding fees incurred while waiting for the owner to arrive.