------- Forwarded Message Date: Sun, 6 Mar 1994 21:04:02 -0800 From: lile@netcom.com (Lile Elam) Message-Id: <199403070504.VAA22694@mail.netcom.com> To: kw-comm@remarque.berkeley.edu Subject: chips... Today I ran into a situation that made me completely nausiated and feel like my privacy had been completely invaded... It involves a chip which is implanted in animals and used for identification... Prehaps I over-reacted but my gut tells me that I haven't. That's what makes me still feel nausiated when I think about it. So I thought I would see what you thought about it. My housemate and I are looking to get some cats for our house. We decided to go to the Peninsula Humane Society (in the south San Francisco area) and see about adopting them from there as this is where lost or stray animals are kept and if unclaimed after a month, are put to sleep. I fell in-love with a beautiful black simi-long hair cat named "Hawk", a five year old male with yellow eyes. We got along really well (I am a cat person by nature) and I decided to adopt him. He is very gental and loving which seems so strange for such a big male cat. I kept calling him "she" :). So, I went to the front desk and spoke with the Animal Coordinator/Advisor. Everything was going great and they were impressed that my dad's a veterinarian. Said it sounded like we could provide Hawk with a wonderful home. Then the woman said, "All we have to do is implant a microchip in the animal and you'll be set". Well, I turned pale and said, "What's this chip and why is it needed?" I was told that it was used to identify the animal in case it became lost. A identifaction number is stored on this microchip and can be used to find the pet's owner and home. Well, I said I didn't want a chip in this cat and that it was a violation of privacy. There was a woman standing next to me, awaiting getting her pet, and she turned to me and said, "I don't see what the problem is?" I responded, "Well, if their doing this to animals, how soon will it be before they implant the same sort of thing in us?" She said, "Oh, I hadn't thought about it like that." and became quiet. I told the attendant that I was strongly opposed to this chip implant and couldn't accept the cat with it. So she is going to check with her boss tomorrow to see if I can get the cat without the chip. She said she understood my concerns about big brother and that a few people have had similar reactions. I'll send you an update tomorrow and let you know if I can get the cat without the chip... I was really upset about this. My housemate asked me why and I said, "It's too close. Don't forget that we are animals too! We can't really talk til we're 2 so I could see this I.D. microchip being used in human babies. And what about people who might suffer from memory loss? A reason to use a chip in adults would be to "identify" you if you forgot who you were or if you were not using your born identity. The possiblities are endless!" And with the NII coming, well it's as bad as the clipper chip, if not worse! So, am I totally over-reacting? I really do feel like this chip is wrong and don't know what to do... Below is the brocure contents about the C.H.I.P. program. How do you feel about it? thanks, - -lile ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lile Elam | "Remember... No matter where you go, there you are." lile@netcom.com | Un*x Admin / Artist | Buckaroo Banzai ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C. H. I. P. Campaign to Help Identify Pets Peninsula Humane Society 12 Airport Blvd. San Mateo, CA 94401 Seventy percent of missing animals never come home because they have no permanent I.D. or their owners don't know how to find them. Here at PHS, only 3% of the stray cats and 57% of the stray dogs brought to the shelter ever return to their family. Because you care about your animals, your home is as secure as possible. But thefts, accidents and natural desasters such as fires and earthquakes, do happen - even to caring and responsible pet owners like you. Despite your best efforts, your animal could get loose and become lost. That's why your newly adopted friend has become part of our new Campaign to Help Identify Pets (CHIP). PHS is working in conjunction with InfoPet, maker of computerized identification microchips, to expand our lost and found services. With the new microchip implant program, we hope to reunite as many animals as possible with their families. High-Tech Identification: - ------------------------- When you adopted your animal, a tiny microchip implant, no larger than a grain of rice, was implanted under his/her skin. There was no additional cost for this implant, and the procedure was easy and required no anesthetic. It was as simple as a routine vaccination. The microchip contains a unique I.D. number which can be activated by a special hand-held scanning device (much like bar codes in grocery stores). In the future, if your animal becomes lost and is brought to the shelter or a local participating veterinary hospital, his/her unique I.D. number will be read by the scanner. This number can then be traced through a computer database that stores vital information such as your name, address and phone number. If your animal was adopted from PHS, his/her records will be kept on a computer at our shelter, and InfoPet's national registry, will list the PHS Adoptee" and our phone number next to his I.D. number. When other, non-PHS aniamls are "chipped" by a private veterinarian, their records go on file directly with th InfoPet national computer registry. InfoPet National Registry: - -------------------------- Although your adopted pet is automatically registered with PHS, for an additional fee of $30 you can also register your animal directly with the InfoPet national registry. (To do so, use the InfoPet form that was given to you at the time you brought your animal home from the shelter.) The InfoPet database is accessable 24 hours a day and can be reached by calling toll free 1-800-INFOPET. If you choose to register directly with InfoPet, they will replace the PHS Adoptee listing with your animal's record which includes your name, address, phone number, and other facts that will be helpful to someone trying to reunite you with your pet. Regardless of where you are registered, however, keep in mind that the registries are only helpful if they are kept up to date with current information. If you move or change your phone number, be sure to notify PHS and/or InfoPet right away. Licensing and Microchip Identification: - --------------------------------------- The microchip does not replace the need to license your animal with the San Mateo County Animal Services Division. By law, every dog and cat must be licensed and have proof of rabies vaccination. In addition, under the current ordinance in the unincorporated areas of San Mateo County, dogs and cats must be spayed or neutered unless the owner possesses a breeding or unaltered animal permit. You have 60 days to licenses your animals(s). A current tag should be worn by both dogs and cats at all times. However, the microchip implant is an acceptable alternative to waaring a tag for cats only. Dogs are encuraged to have the implant in the event their collar is broken or lost. Commonly Asked Questions: - ------------------------- Q) How is the chip implanted? Is it painful? A) Done with a specialized sterile needle containing the chip, the injection is simple and requires no anesthetic. The procedure takes seconds and causes no more discomfort than a routine injection. Q) Is the chip large? Will it bulge under the skin? A) The microchip is 11 mm in length or the size of a grain of rice. Once implanted it is invisible from the skin's surface. Q) Will the chip move around in my animals body? A) No, it is injected under the skin. The body naturally forms a wall around the chip and keeps it secure. Q) Will the implant mictrochip cause any medical problems? A) No, it is made of bio-comptible glass which is naturally accepted by the tissue of your animal. Q) Why should I microchip my animal when he already has a license or never goes outside? A) For extra protection. Animals can accidently escape the confines of your home or lose their collars in a variety of situations. Q) Can the I.D. number be changed? A) No, it is unalterable and provides permanent identification. Q) Can the information be accidently erased or deactivated in any way? A) The microchips have a lifespan of approximately 20 years. To date, no chip has gone inactive. Q) Can other companion animals get the microchip implant? A) Right now PHS will only implant adopted cats and dogs. Howerver, microchips have been implanted in other animals. Contact InfoPet or your local veterinarian for more information. Q) Are all microchips the same? Can the InfoPet chip be read by other company scanners? A) No, unfortunately there are several different companies currently producing microchips and scanning devices. At this time, most of the chips can only be read by the scanning devices produced by the sanme ccompany. It is our hope that a common scanning device will be available in the future. In the meantime, PHS will check each animal brought to the shelter first for the InfoPet chip (the chip being used throughout San Mateo County) and then for the other chip that is being used in a few other communities in the bay area. Q) What happens if I move out of the area? A) Notify InfoNet's computer bank (Tool-Free: 1-800-INFOPET), then contact your new veterinarian, aniaml shelter or humane society in your new location to find out if they have the InfoPet microchip scanning program available. For More Information, Please call: (415) 340-7022, ext.320 ------- End of Forwarded Message