Houston to require microchips for dogs and cats, bar pet shops from using 'puppy mill' breeders – Houston Chronicle

A dog peeks through an opening in his kennel at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
A microchip set up is shown at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
Matt Brooks takes a dog out while looking to adopt a pet at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
A dog stands in a kennel waiting for adoption at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
A dog looks out the window of the kennel at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
A dog looks out the window of the kennel at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
Adi Guillen, senior animal care technician, takes a dog out for a walk at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
A pair of dogs stand in their kennels waiting to be adopted at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
Adi Guillen, senior animal care technician, takes a dog out for a walk at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
Adi Guillen, senior animal care technician, gets a dog ready to have a photo taken to put on the adoption web site at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
Adi Guillen, senior animal care technician, gets a dog ready to have a photo taken to put on the adoption web site at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
Adi Guillen, senior animal care technician, gets a dog ready to have a photo taken to put on the adoption web site at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
Adi Guillen, senior animal care technician, gets a dog ready to have a photo taken to put on the adoption web site at the BARC Animal Shelter & Adoption center Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 in Houston. The city updated its animal code Wednesday, which requires all dog and cat owners to microchip their animals and will prohibit pet stores from sourcing from puppy mill breeders.
The city now will now will require resident pet owners to get microchips for their dogs and cats, and will ban so-called ‘puppy mill’ breeders from providing animals to pet stores.
City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to revise its animal code for the first time since 2014, including those changes and others to try to rein in overpopulation of animals on the city’s streets and in its shelter.
“For the most part, all of these changes were really supported by the animal welfare community, which is great,” said At-Large Councilmember Sallie Alcorn, who helped craft the revisions.
Pet owners, already required to license pets with the city and prove they have been vaccinated against rabies, now will have to microchip them.
The chip will replace the city’s license and rabies tags and will make it easier to return lost animals to their owners, officials said. Animal control officers will be able to scan an animal’s microchip and return it to its owner without bringing it back to the shelter, easing the burden on that facility.
The city plans to focus on helping residents comply with the new rule initially, rather than concentrating on enforcement, officials said. Shelter employees will spend at least a year educating residents about the changes and providing opportunities to get the device installed before enforcing it. The city offers to install them for $15 and will announce details on future opportunities to do so, likely including chances to get the device for free.
Even when enforcement does begin, it likely will be limited. Many residents do not license their animals with the city and face little consequence, although they can face a fine if their animal runs away and winds up in the city shelter.
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The city estimates it has a compliance rate of about 4 percent for the current licensing requirement, and officials hope to grow that number as they phase in microchipping. One incentive to comply: It makes it more likely your pet is returned to you if it ever gets out.
When San Antonio adopted a similar microchipping ordinance, that city saw its return-to-owner rate increase sharply. San Antonio returned 20 percent of the animals it took in to their owners in October, the last month for which data is available. In Houston, the figure was 5.7 percent in 2020.
“Our return-to-owner rate is not very good at all because none of the dogs we’re picking up have identifiers on them,” said Jarrad Mears, division manager for animal enforcement at the city’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care. “This isn’t an immediate solution. This is a long-term thing. The more animals we get microchipped, the more this is going to help us get pets back to their owners.”
The ban on puppy mill breeders would affect five stores currently getting animals from those sources, according to the city. They will have one year to comply with the new provision, which requires them to sell only dogs and cats sourced from a humane organization or shelter.
City officials and advocates said most reputable or legitimate breeders do not sell their animals to pet stores, which means they will not be affected by the changes.
Mayor Sylvester Turner, who did not attend council Wednesday because he was attending a conference of mayors in Washington, D.C., committed to add $1 million to the city’s spay-and-neuter effort to help further the efforts, according to his administration.
Among the other changes: a shorter hold on strays, which allows for adoptions or transfers after two days for animals without microchips; animals will be sterilized before leaving the city shelter; and dogs who attack other dogs will be designated as aggressive, instead of merely a public nuisance.
On HoustonChronicle.com: Read more stories by reporter Dylan McGuinness
A half dozen animal advocates called into City Council to laud the ordinance changes, saying they were long overdue and provide hope for better outcomes in Houston.
“The implementation of microchips will be able to get loose dogs in the field back home, and they won’t even enter the shelter, which is phenomenal,” said Shelby Bobosky, executive director of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, which seeks to implement best practices in city codes and other laws.
Tama Lundquist, co-president of Houston PetSet, a nonprofit dedicated to ending homelessness and suffering for animals, said it often is heartbreaking to watch the city and nonprofits attempt to address what she described as a “stray animal crisis” in Houston.
“Today, it seems we have momentum to stop the suffering and witness good things happening for our animals,” Lundquist said.
District G Councilmember Greg Travis, often an advocate for animals on council, said he was happy the city finally is taking action.
“I think what we’re doing today is the right thing,” Travis said. “Doesn’t mean there can’t be more down the road, but it’s a perfect, good start that I think goes a long, long way.”
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Dylan McGuinness covers City Hall and local politics for the Houston Chronicle. He initially joined the paper through the Hearst Journalism Fellowship program after covering the same beats for the San Antonio Express-News.

McGuinness previously covered the Rhode Island statehouse for the Associated Press and breaking news for the Boston Globe. He grew up in Connecticut, graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a die-hard Red Sox fan.
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