Thursday, April 8, 2010

Dog has ID, but can't be traced


TODAY
Dog has ID, but can't be traced
05:55 AM Apr 07, 2010
Letter from Jaclyn Liew

A FEW weeks ago, I found a female Siberian husky estimated to be six to seven years old. She was also suffering from tick fever.

This husky has a microchip number 7020 5555 000 4685, but her owner had not licensed her with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) or Petcall (the Central Animal Recovery System for lost and found pets).

I wrote to the AVA hoping that the supplier of the microchip can be traced, as all suppliers of microchips for animals are authorised by the AVA.

If we could trace the supplier, we would then be able to trace the clinic the microchip was supplied to. Then, hopefully, we could trace the owner of the husky.

A week later, the AVA called to say that it could not find any information about the dog.

I was very surprised and disappointed to be told by the authority that authorises suppliers of microchips, that it could not trace the company who supplied this particular microchip. It is akin to a country not being able to trace the identity card numbers of its citizens.

I hope the AVA would care to explain.