Baguio is considering implanting microchip IDs on pet dogs for easy identification and retrieval in case of loss. (PNA photo)
Baguio City – The City’s Veterinary Office is recommending the compulsory registration of all pet dogs in the city by embedding a microchip under its skin for better identification and retrieval in case of loss.
“Our plan is to have dogs registered with microchips, implanted on the skin for identification,” Dr. Brigitte Piok of the city veterinary office said.
“It can stay in the dog’s skin for life which will bear its identity – name, age, breed, vaccination record, and the owner’s name.”
She said this will help identify pets and notify their respective owners if these dogs are lost and impounded. If these are stray dogs, the owner will be penalized.
Piok said that this proposal will be submitted the city council for approval and allocation of its proposed budget. They hope to launch the program by 2020.
With each microchip costing between P200 to P250 and the number of dogs in 2018 estimated to be at 40,000, the city veterinary office will need P8 to P10 million to realize this project.
Meanwhile, Piok said the city’s free rabies vaccination for its 128 barangays is faring well since there had been no case of rabies in city so far. (Jojo Mangahis)