Those who resist face criminal penalties. But backers insist the proposal isn't some Big Brother nightmare. Instead, they say, it's a way to use advanced technology to rescue tens of thousands of animals and save millions of taxpayer dollars on animal shelter operations. The plan is contained in new legislation, Senate Bill 236, by state Sen. Jack O'Connell, D-Santa Barbara, a pet owner and longtime legislative champion of animal rights. It's just good public policy.
Some opponents argue that the legislation invades the privacy of millions of pet owners.
Others say a law requiring microchips is too extreme, especially for cats, which don't even require licenses in most parts of the state. Veterinarians say the procedure is painless. Under the Infonet plan, animal shelters that find stray pets scan them with an instrument resembling a supermarket barcode reader. According to Infonet, most city and county animal shelters in California will be using the scanning system by this spring. PST Proposed legislation in California would require microchips to be implanted in cats and dogs to reduce the number of former pets killed in the state's animal shelters each year.