Gerry,
 
        Whoa there!  Slow down!  Although there *was* some mention of a
government regulation in Utah at the beginning of this discussion, it was
never determined that they really were thinking about requiring it.  Since
then, we've only been discussing the actually procedure.  The microchips are
distributed by private companies, the biggest one I know of being AVID:
American Veterinary Identification.  They are not being considered as a
requirement by the government.  But the government of many states/counties
*does* require the registration of dogs to enforce rabies vaccination.  From
a public health *and* animal health aspect, I see this as a very *good*
thing.  There are a *lot* of people out there who only get their pets
vaccinated when someone like me (I was an animal control officer over the
summer) shows up with their dog who's been running loose and tells them if
the dog ends up in the pound they'll have to pay a steep fine for non-
vaccination *plus* get him vaccinated and registered.  If the law is what it
takes to get people to help prevent the spread of rabies, then I'm afraid I
have to say so be it.  At any rate, microchipping is simply suggested by
veterinarians and of course the chip companies as an excellent way of
preventing your pet from being permanently lost if he runs away or is stolen.
 You can take off or loose a collar, but most people wouldn't even begin to
know where to look for a microchip, let alone how to remove it.  As far as I
know, that's all we've been discussing.  :)
 
Laura
 
Laura L'Heureux Kupkee
U. of Illinois Vet Med Class of `96
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[Posted in FML issue 0995]