Tags and Collars Becoming Passe With New Implants

In El Paso, every dog has its day -- and its own microchip.

New animal control laws going into effect this month require that all dogs, cats and ferrets be implanted with an identification microchip linked to a national pet registry.

The chips, city officials said, will help animal control officers return more lost pets and deter people from abandoning their animals.

It's part of a multi-pronged effort to reduce the number of unclaimed animals euthanized by the city each year, a figure that rose to 24,000 in 2005.

Not everyone supported the new law. Some citizens and City Council members said the requirement amounts to taxing responsible pet owners. City councilman Beto O'Rourke said others were uncomfortable with the procedure.

"For some people, it's scary because they don't understand it," he said.

The microchips are the size of a grain of rice and are injected into the animal's skin with an ordinary syringe, O'Rourke said. The one-time procedure costs about $20 and lasts for the life of the pet. Pet owners have until April 1, 2007, to comply or risk being charged with a misdemeanor.

The city's goal is "zero kill" of animals, "which we're nowhere near right now," O'Rourke said. "We're spending $2.5 million every year housing, feeding and euthanizing those pets, and then dumping them at the landfill."

-- Matthew C. Wright

Two Schools Lift Ban on Proms, But the Glitz is Gone

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No limos. No prom dresses. No tuxedos. But it's still a prom. Two Long Island high schools recently reinstated the prom, albeit a toned-down version designed to put a lid on the excesses that had come to define the annual dance.