Rodney Stevens

Tens of thousands of pet microchips will go offline after it was announced that the HomeSafeID pet registry website is closing.
Pet microchips, which were first introduced in NSW in 2013 and became mandatory in 2015, are a permanent form of electronic identification implanted under the pet’s skin.
Identified by a microchip number containing the pet’s and their owners’ details, the information is recorded on the NSW Pet Registry so when a pet goes missing, the owner can be contacted.
Fines for failing to microchip your pet in NSW range from A$180 to $880.
HomeSafeID was a microchip and registry company used by animal shelters and vets since 2009.
This was posted on their website on February 5.
“The owner of this site, HomeSafeID, is no longer communicating or paying for the hosting of this site, and so this site is likely to go offline in the future.
“You may want to investigate alternatives to your pet’s registration, as once this site goes offline the registration data will no longer be available online or searchable via PetAddress.”
Governments have since moved to delist HomeSafeID as an approved animal registry, while the Australian Veterinary Association has said tens of thousands of pets across multiple states from Tasmania to Queensland may not be able to be identified.
Of the 7 registries storing microchip data in Australia, HomeSafeID was one of the 5 which are privately owned, with the other two owned by the NSW and SA Government’s.
Together, the 5 private registries fund a website called Pet Address which allows access to search the 5 databases, but not the two state owned registries.
Pets in NSW and SA are required to be microchipped and registered with the state’s registry.
If you move states, you must update your details with the pet registry in that state, otherwise your microchip will not be readable in that state.
As there are currently no rules governing how private pet microchip registries should operate in Australia, there is no mechanism to ensure that data is transferred if a private registry closes.
For pet owners who don’t know their microchip number, vets and shelters can scan your animal for you to find out on which database it is registered.
If the scan reveals it is a HomeSafeID microchip, it is recommended transfer your details to another registry.