Australian Pet Microchip Registry Closure Threatens Hundreds of Thousands of Pets

The potential shutdown of HomeSafeID highlights a lack of national regulation, leaving pet owners scrambling to secure their animals' safety.

HomeSafeID, one of Australia's private pet microchip registries, may cease operations due to unpaid bills, rendering associated microchips untraceable.
Hundreds of thousands of pets nationwide could be affected, with no clear way for owners to determine if their pets are impacted without checking their microchip registry.
Australia has seven microchip registries, five privately owned and two state-run, but lacks national regulations to ensure data continuity if a registry fails.
Pet owners are urged to verify their pet's microchip details through tools like Pet Address and transfer data to alternative registries if linked to HomeSafeID.
Experts warn that without reforms, similar failures could recur, potentially leading to lost pets being untraceable, rehomed, or euthanized.