As the Côte Saint-Luc City Councillor responsible for Animal Protection, I gave notice to my colleagues last night that I intend to bring forward an amendment to our pet bylaws emulating the legislation adopted in Montreal that all cats and dogs over six months be microchipped.
Today I was at the Côte Saint-Luc Hospital for Animals where they were inundated with calls from people asking if the Montreal bylaw applies in CSL. The answer officially is "no," but as noted it will become mandatory soon. When we adopted our present cat a decade ago we microchipped her immediately, even though we never planned to let her go outside. But accidents do happen and heaven forbid a pet escapes, the microchip if the only way for a vet or the SPCA to trace ownership.
If you have a cat or dog and they are not microchipped, please do so immediately. Do not wait for a by-law. The animal hospital had many bookings today, primarily from people in our community. I think the Montreal by-law and the accompanying media coverage served as a valuable wakeup call.
A microchip is a small electronic device the size of a grain of rice, which a veterinarian inserts under the animal’s skin, on the back near the shoulder blades. The process is relatively painless. "It’s comparable to having your ear pierced,” the SPCA's Anita Kapuscinska told The Gazette.
The chip remains with the animal for life, and is a direct link to its owner. I will be meeting with our Co-City Manager and Director of Public Safety this week to discuss this further.
We’re making it mandatory to microchip dogs in CSL, but I haven’t seen any enforcement or ticketing of the MANY residents who are too self-important or entitled to clean up after their dogs. CSL is disgusting when it comes to this nasty, filthy, and irresponsible habit, and is something I would expect to see in the poorest, run-down, and hopeless area of Montreal. My kids play in an open area grass area at the end of Cavendish Boulevard and have to be extremely careful to sidestep the many horse-sized turds left behind daily! Come take a walk here Mr. Cohen, perhaps you may feel as strongly about this as the microchipping,
It’s great that there will be chipping, but I’m not sure that there is a need to make it mandatory. You could use some trackers, like dog fitbit (https://technobark.com/best-dog-fitness-trackers-this-year/), to have the chips in them. That would be good for me.