Microchips

I recently took both of my pets to the vet (separately, of course). I learned that a tag for my dog’s shot alone was more expensive than the price for both a microchip and the tag together. I got a brochure on microchipping, even though I didn’t plan on getting it done. I later took my cat in and decided to ask the vet about microchipping, just to pick her brain and get her opinion. Of course, she highly recommended it (it‘s so popular right now and I also wonder if vets get some sort of kick-back for each microchip they sell…kind of like how Hill’s Science Diet gets vets to recommend their food).
I said something to her about my dog’s tag price and she said that it would soon be statewide that pets were either required to be microchipped or tags would be more expensive (I didn’t quite understand which she meant). I have a huge problem with this. First of all, I don’t like microchips, but I will get to that a little later. If the state does indeed start to require pet owners to get their pets microchipped (which seems to be the road the government is taking), then it seems like the next step would be requiring the same for humans (some people have already been microchipped voluntarily). That’s just scary. It is none of the government’s business whether or not we choose to microchip our pets. It could also be an encouragement for people who don’t want their pets microchipped to stop going to the vet, which could certainly affect the economy.
Here are some of my problems with microchips. First of all, the Home Again company (one of the microchip systems, http://public.homeagain.com/) acts like they offer all these things that you can’t do without them such as: make a lost pet poster and contact local shelters (I think it does do it for you or compile a list of all the shelters in your area, but you could do that yourself). I mean, don’t you have a fairly recent photo of your pet and a telephone?
If you watch your pet, it’s much less likely that they’ll get lost, get stolen, or run away. There’s still the chance they’ll run away but you should be responsible enough to look for them right away. I had a family dog as a child who would get loose constantly…she was like Houdini. She was an indoor dog (she went outside too, but not intentionally loose), but still found ways to run off. However, we always found her when she ran off.
The microchips identify your pet as a number and link that number to your information. It is supposed to eliminate the chance of your pet being euthanized at a shelter. But, like I said, if you watch your pet, the chances of losing it are less likely than if you don’t. Also, if your pet is lost, you should notice quickly that your pet is missing and start looking and contacting shelters immediately. Supposedly, the company will keep your information private if you request that they do. Sure. Not likely. Home Again is a business and businesses are usually motivated by money.
I really don’t like that they can find all kinds of information with the sweep of a scanner. What if the Nazi’s had had access to microchips? They could have implanted them into people, and it would have been even more difficult to escape. According to my understanding, the microchips do not contain a GPS system, so they only help if your pet is found, checked for a microchip and the microchip company is contacted with the information. I wouldn’t be too surprised if they have GPS capabilities in the near future, which is really creepy. Then someone would be able to see exactly where the microchip is at any time.
I have also heard that microchips can cause problems with the pet’s health, but the vet said they were basically rare horror stories. It does seem kind of risky to insert a foreign object into an animal, especially if it’s not medically necessary (which microchips are not medically necessary. I would say that the microchip craze started less than ten years ago and pets have lived healthy lives before then).
If you are considering microchipping your pet, I encourage you to think about it and encourage others to think too.

Update: I just stumbled across this site (http://sobe-dog.com/how-it-works.php). I don't know much about it, but it looks like an alternative to microchips. It's similar, but a tag rather than something embedded in your pet's body.