Ipswich pet owners urged to review microchip registration
21 March 2025
Ipswich City Council is urging pet owners that use HomeSafeID for their pet’s microchip registration to change to a different provider as soon as possible.
HomeSafeID, an independent microchip and registry company used by vets and animal shelters, went offline on 5 February 2025 and has since been deactivated, impacting council’s ability to reunite lost pets registered with the service with their owners.
Infrastructure, Planning and Assets Committee Chairperson Andrew Antoniolli said council uses microchip registration databases to access contact information from lost pets.
“The closure of this database is beyond council’s control, but it does make it more difficult for council officers to reunite lost pets with their owners,” Cr Antoniolli said.
“When council officers come across a lost pet, they scan the pet’s microchip.
“This leads to a database which displays the contact information of the owner.
“Unfortunately, if your pet is registered with HomeSafeID, scanning your pet’s microchip will no longer lead to this necessary information since the database has been deactivated.”
Cr Antoniolli said residents whose pets are registered with the now deactivated HomeSafeID should re-register their pets with a different service.
“This may involve a small fee, but it will make it easier for council officers to reunite you with your furry friend should they get lost,” Cr Antoniolli said.
“There are more than 30,000 dogs registered in Ipswich and in our past December quarter alone, our council staff received 314 reports of unregistered, roaming or noisy dogs across our city.
“In order to find out whether your pet is registered with HomeSafeID, you will have to look up the number on Pet Address – this will require the pet’s microchip number.
“If you do not have the microchip number, you can find this out by taking your pet to a vet or a shelter.
“Council is committed to ensuring that lost pets are reunited with their owners and this simple change will help avoid any heartache if a pet goes missing.”
The following microchip registries currently hold licences in Queensland: