Three years since the introduction of compulsory dog microchipping, the RSPCA urges owners to microchip and check their details.
On the third anniversary of compulsory microchipping (6 April), the UK’s largest animal charity is reminding dog owners to ensure their pets are microchipped and their up-to-date details are registered with a database.
Unfortunately, despite it being required by law, the charity still finds thousands of dogs coming into its care each year are either not microchipped or have out-of-date owner details.
RSPCA dog welfare expert Lisa Hens said: “Sadly it seems the message hasn’t got through to everyone and lots of injured, neglected or abandoned dogs are ending up in our centres because our officers aren’t able to trace their owners. And a large number of stray dogs who are dealt with by local authorities sadly can’t be reunited with their owner because of incorrect or missing details.
“It’s been three years since the government made it a legal requirement for owners to get their dogs microchipped and part of this legislation includes ensuring details are registered with an online database and kept up-to-date.
“A big problem we encounter us out-of-date phone numbers of addresses which is so frustrating. The ideal outcomes for dogs who come back into care of the RSPCA, other charities or local authorities is to get them back home where they belong as quickly as possible. But we can only do this if they’re microchipped properly with correct details.”
The RSPCA – the UK’s oldest and largest animal welfare charity and largest rescuer of dogs in England & Wales – launched its Chick ‘N’ Check campaign three years ago and is, this week, reminding dog owners to chip their pets and check their details.
Lisa added: “I’d encourage all dog owners to microchip their pets, it’s a cheap and easy procedure that can be done by your vet or even at your local animal shelter. And for all of those responsible pet owners who know their pets are chipped, I’d urge them to check their details and ensure they’re up-to-date.
“This is particularly important if you’ve moved to a new house, or changed your telephone number. We’d also like to remind anyone thinking of taking on a dog to ensure he or she is microchipped. And for those families planning to buy a puppy, remember: all breeders much microchip their puppies before they go off to a new home.”
For more information on microchipping you can visit www.rspca.org.uk/microchipping.
