Swan Hill Rural City Council informs residents that from 7 February 2025, HomeSafeID is no longer licenced to keep and maintain an animal microchip registry service for Victorian pet owners.
Pet owners with dogs, cats, and horses registered with HomeSafeID do not need to take any action. Animal Welfare Victoria (AWV) is in the process of selecting a new approved animal registry service, and will transfer the HomeSafeID data to a new licenced microchip registry service. Pet owners will then be contacted with further information once the transfer is complete.
Pet owners with other animals (eg. rabbits, ferrets) registered with HomeSafeID will need to register their animals on a different register. There are several licenced microchip registries in Victoria: Central Animal Records, Australasian Animal Registry, Global Microchip Animal Registry and Petsafe. There may be costs associated with this process.
Council's Director of Development and Planning, Michelle Grainger, advises pet owners to check their pets' microchip registration details.
"We suggest that pet owners who are unsure of their pet's current registry, visit the petaddress.com.au website.
"Once at the website, pet owners will need to enter their pet's microchip number. If they need help finding this number, they can contact Council or their veterinary service for assistance," informed Ms. Grainger.
Ms Grainger explained that microchipping of pets is very important.
"One of the most important reasons to microchip your pet and keep their details up to date is to ensure they can be returned if they go missing."
"Authorised Officers are able to scan your pet's microchip, confirm the owner details, and reunite pets and owners much faster if the animal is microchipped and registered," Ms Grainger added
