Pet sellers required to microchip dogs and cats

The cylindrical chip is about 10 millimeters long and 2 mm in diameter. It is generally implanted near the necks of dogs and cats by using a syringe-like device. The chip contains a 15-digit ID that can be scanned using special devices and checked against a database the Environment Ministry will maintain to identify the owner's information. Veterinarians or veterinary nurses implant the microchips. The cost is from 3,000 yen ($23.18) to 10,000 yen. The revised law obliges breeders, pet shops and other sellers to implant the chips in puppies and kittens for sale, as well as adult dogs and cats for breeding, to improve the breeding environment. Penalties may be imposed for violations, such as administrative guidance and administrative punishment.

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Every dog has a different nose pattern, and Tokyo-based S'more Co. focused on this feature to develop the new app. With this system, artificial intelligence analyzes snout patterns to identify individual pooches, and the app notifies owners of the whereabouts of their lost pets. Quite a few owners and pets get separated in incidents such as disasters. The app is expected to become a tool to prevent owners from losing their dogs, and the developers are calling for more canine lovers to register their pets because increasing the number of registered dogs improves identification accuracy. Like human fingerprints, nose patterns of canines as well as cows don't change even when they grow up, and they are identifiable. Therefore, nose patterns of cattle have been used as proof of brand beef. The app utilizes the technology to identify dogs by their snouts, hence the name "Nose ID." The test version of the app was released on May 21.

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