A new amendment to the Township of Wellesley’s dog-kennel bylaw removing tattooing as an acceptable form of identification for dogs and puppies, thereby leaving microchipping as the only option locally, has several local kennel owners questioning the future of their operations.

At township council’s May 13 meeting, councillors heard from two local kennel owners seeking exemptions to the bylaw’s microchipping requirement – an amendment approved by council at its July 9, 2024, meeting that will go into effect in August. The amendment was narrowly approved by council after Coun. Shelley Wagner introduced a motion to remove tattooing as an acceptable form of identification, suggesting the procedure can be painful for dogs without anesthesia and that tattoos are not effective when trying to return lost dogs to their owners. 

“We have this new bylaw coming out that we’re supposed to comply with the new requirements by having all dogs and puppies in the kennel microchipped by Aug. 27 of 2025,” said local kennel owner Amon Martin. “I think what’s really happening is that … a few years ago, we were asked to start putting ID on all puppies before they leave the property with an option of tattooing. Now, it says that … (tattooing has been removed) as an option. … (The bylaw) said all dogs and puppies, exclusive of nursing puppies, shall be microchipped or tattooed at all times in order to be able to properly identify each dog.

“ … With the new bylaw, we would be required to microchip everything in the kennel and what leaves the kennel. My problem with it is that I’m not really comfortable with that level of technology.”

The township’s dog-kennel bylaw regulates the operation of nine kennels in the township. According to a staff report presented to council last year before the amendment was approved, between three and four of those kennel owners opposed the removal of tattooing from the bylaw for religious reasons.

Mosie Kuepfer, another local kennel owner who spoke on behalf of two of his brothers who also own and operate dog kennels in Wellesley, told council they oppose the requirement for religious reasons and it could lead them to shut down their kennel operations unless they are granted exemptions.

“We want to be responsible residents of the Township of Wellesley and yet we strive to be loyal members of the Amish church,” Kuepfer said. “We thought this may cause an issue with ministers and members within the congregation. So, rather than stir up trouble, we took this concern to the bishops.”

Reading the response to his concerns with the bylaw amendment he received from several local Amish-Mennonite bishops, Kuepfer explained the church opposes the microchipping of any animal, including dogs, based on Revelation 14 of the New Testament in the Christian Bible.

“ ‘The day is coming when all people who buy or sell will likewise be chipped or a comparable version of it,’ ” Kuepfer read from the bishops’ letter. “ ‘Our church refrains from the use of cellphones and other likewise technology and do not find this procedure permissible for our brethren.’ ”

Both Martin and Kuepfer said they would not be able to use the microchip technology in their kennel operations as they are not permitted by their religion to use or keep the scanners needed to read a dog’s microchip.

Wagner, however, said the kennel owners don’t actually need a microchip scanner for the technology to fulfill its purpose.

“The microchip isn’t necessarily for you,” Wagner said. “The microchip is for the township for tracking purposes because we came under fire several years ago in regards to what was happening with our kennels in this township. 

“A microchip is actually used if a puppy or a dog gets lost, whether it’s from your kennel or the adopting family or person who adopts it. That microchip is scanned by someone who owns a scanner, which is usually a veterinary practice or the Humane Society. So … it’s not something that tracks the animals … it is only when that animal is surrendered to a Humane Society or someone takes it to their veterinarian because they found it. That chip is then scanned and it will either lead back to your kennel and you would then have the information as to who you adopted that dog to, or the owner has registered their information and the dog gets back to them.”

After hearing the concerns of the kennel owners, council opted to take no action. 

Tattoos are done by kennel owners themselves, not by a designated person or a professional, to identify dogs as their own and not as part of a registry with other organizations or clubs. Kennel owners use a specific tool – a clamp with a set of letters and numbers – designed for the purpose of embedding the tattoo. 

Specific letters represent the year the dog was born and numbers are used to identify their kennel number. Once set with the correct letters and numbers, ink is added and pressed against the dog’s ear like a stamp leaving the tattoo embedded in the flesh. 

A microchip, meanwhile, is not a GPS or tracking device and it does not store any personal information about the animal or pet parent. A microchip simply transmits a unique number through radio frequency identification (RFID) when scanned by a microchip scanner or reader. It is injected under the skin using a hypodermic needle and it is no more painful than a typical injection, though the needle is slightly larger than those used for injection. 

No surgery or anesthesia is required. A microchip can be implanted during a routine veterinary office visit or, if a pet is already undergoing anesthesia for a procedure such as neutering or spaying, the microchip often can be implanted while they’re still under anesthesia. 

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