Do all companion animals have to be microchipped?

All dogs and cats born or who have changed owners since 1 July 1999 are required to be microchipped and lifetime registered. Dogs already registered under the Dog Act can continue to be registered annually for three years to allow time for everyone to change over to the new system. One of the aims of the new system is to help reduce the number of lost or stray cats and dogs which are unnecessarily "put to sleep" every year in NSW. In order to do this it is essential that owned and unowned animals are readily identifiable so that they can be promptly returned to their owners or new homes can be found. Collars can be lost or removed and tattoos can be changed, but microchipping is a once-only form of identification which is designed to last for an animal's lifetime. The introduction of compulsory microchipping aims to ensure that all owned animals have a means of permanent identification which cannot be lost or tampered with.

© 2008 Palerang Council
This page: http://www.palerang.nsw.gov.au/faqs/pages/1575.html