LOS ANGELES: When Marcus Hopkins couldn't find his four-year-old Persian feline friend last year, he feared the worst. Searching the streets of his West Hollywood neighborhood, the missing cat couldn't be found. “I was so worried and I went all around looking for him,” he told Bikyamasr.com. “Then I went to the local shelter and thankfully he was there. I took him home, but not before I made sure to have the microchip put into him so if he ever got out again, I would be able to find him easier.” Marcus' companion animal, Jackson, was one of the lucky ones. California tax payers spend nearly $300 million on stray animals and euthanizing lost animals annually, but a new bill being proposed hopes to change this as early as January 1 next year. If Governor Jerry Brown signs Senate Bill 702, it would require dogs and cats to have a tiny microchip placed between their shoulders when adopted from a shelter or if a lost animal is found by its human companions. The move is bringing a lot of praise from animal rights activists, who said that too often, animals are sent to shelters where they stay a few days and then are killed. There are an abundance of no-kill shelters, but too often, they say, the government-run shelters put down animals who are otherwise healthy as a result of space and funding. “This could really do a lot of good for animals and humans if passed because it hopefully means a lot less death,” said animal rights campaigner Julie Dimante, who said that she has heard too many stories where a companion animal is killed because the “owners were not quick enough to find them.” “Every year, shelters in California impound more than 1 million dogs and cats – and then euthanize more than half of these animals because they could not be reunited with their owners,” says the bill's sponsor, state Sen. Ted Lieu. “Nationwide, this costs local taxpayer-funded shelters and humane societies $1 billion. This has to stop,” says Senator Lieu. For Marcus and Jackson, it would avoid the unnecessary worry associated with lost friends. Searching would be a thing of the past with the chip and government officials and animal hosts are hoping it can mean quicker reunions and less stress. “If Jackson had one of those chips implanted in him, I would have been able to find him easier,” said Marcus. “Maybe it is time to think about this with children as well.” BM
