1 Lakh Pet Dogs in Chennai to Be Microchipped to Track Owners Who Abandon Them

Chennai: Tin a bid to prevent the abandonment of pet animals and better track pet owners in the city, the Greater Chennai Corporation will microchip 100,000 pet dogs in April. 

Abandoned pet dogs have become somewhat of an issue in the city, with officials estimating the number of stray dogs in the city to have increased to 1.8 lakh thanks to pet owners abandoning their pets on the city’s streets. This also leads to other issues like excessive breeding and public health issues caused by their waste.

Once the microchipping drive is complete, the Corporation plans to restrict the number of dogs allowed in each household based on the house’s size and neighbours in the vicinity. 

“We are studying the legal provisions. The guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board of India are not clear. We have to amend the statutory provisions. The maximum number of dogs in a house will depend on the space available at home and the condition of the neighbourhood. We will make a decision soon,” said an official. 

The pet microchips to be implanted in dogs will contain the owner’s name, address, breed details, vaccination status, whelping status, date of sterilisation, and status of anti-rabies vaccinations. 

The Corporation is also developing an app. Once dogs have been microchipped and the database is complete, owners will receive messages from the GCC regarding the re-vaccination schedule to prevent rabies infections.  

The GCC is yet to agree upon a fee for the dog microchipping process. “The licence fee for dogs is ?50. We will finalise the fee for microchipping of dogs after the software is created. Microchipping of dogs will be mandatory,” said an official.

The GCC will organize dog microchipping camps across Chennai’s 200 divisions. Along with the camps, six veterinary clinics of GCC located in Thiru.Vi.Ka Nagar, Kannammapet, Meenambakkam, Nungambakkam, Pulianthope and Lloyds Colony will implant microchips.

The GCC has also started to collect details of veterinarians who will be allowed to implant these microchips. The veterinary hospitals of the Animal Husbandry Department at five locations (including Saidapet and Tiruvottiyur) will also provide microchipping services for the city’s residents. 

The GCC plans to bring in 60 private veterinarian hospitals and 150 registered veterinarians to aid in the microchipping process. The GCC said it will release standard operating procedures for the same soon.