Your Pets Daily - Dog microchipping

Thousands breaking the law by not microchipping their dog

Katie Court — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Thousands of Brits may be hit with a £500 fine, as more than a million dogs in the UK have not been microchipped despite it being a legal requirement.

Experts from Quotezone.co.uk have urged pet owners to microchip their dogs and register them on a national database in order to make it easier to track down lost or stolen pups.

The microchipping law was put in place on 6 April 2016 for dogs and will soon be made mandatory for cats as well. Owners are legally required to make sure their pooch is fitted with a microchip by the time they're 8 weeks old, unless they have health conditions that prevent them from the procedure.

Owners are also responsible for updating their contact details and the dog's microchip information on the database, as failing to do so could land them another £500 fine. As well as being microchipped, dogs are still legally required to wear a collar with the owner's contact details when out in public.

Not only does microchipping help identify and return dogs to their owners, it also helps to decrease the growing number of strays on the streets and alleviates the strain that many animal shelters are under. Charities and local authorities can save millions of pounds in annual savings by not having to feed and home dogs who have gone missing, when they can instead just easily scan the chip and find the owner.

Additionally, microchipping is crucial since without it pet insurance is not an option, as insurance providers can invalidate the policy if the pup goes missing without a microchip.

The microchipping process itself is quick and painless and can be done for free in Blue Cross and Battersea rescue centres, or for a small charge of around £20 at a vet or local council.

Quotezone.co.uk Founder and CEO Greg Wilson said: "Microchipping increases the chance of missing pets being reunited with their owners, providing benefits for animal welfare as well as lowering costs for animal shelters. Inserting a microchip only takes a moment and you can also find centres that do it for free all over the nation, so there's really no excuse for why you shouldn't offer your four-legged friend all the protection you can.

"Not only will microchipping help keep your dog safe, but it will also help you avoid hefty fines and make it possible to protect your pooch with a pet insurance policy. Since every dog owner is legally required to microchip their pup, failing to do so means they're breaking the law and won't be covered by insurance if the pet should get lost or stolen.

"It's also important to remember to update the details for your dog's microchip when there are changes, for example, if you get a new phone number or move house."

Under the Government's flagship Action Plan for Animal Welfare, the microchipping law will soon be extended to cats as well. The number of stray cats is a rising issue, as recent research reveals that 80% of cats coming into Cats Protection's centres are not microchipped, making it very difficult to reunite them with their owners.

Under the new law, the fines for cat owners who are caught not having microchipped their kittens will be the same as for dogs, however cats need to be chipped by the time they're 20 weeks old. Greg continues: "Just like for dogs, cat owners are also encouraged to have their pets microchipped, even if it's not yet required by law. Doing so may result in lower insurance costs and will also ensure that your furry friend finds its way back home."

10-YEAR-OLD DOG REUNITED WITH HIS OWNERS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY THANKS TO HIS MICROCHIP

Tom Stone — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0000

A beloved 10-year-old Toy Poodle, who was brought to Battersea’s London centre after being found wandering the streets alone, has now safely returned home after the charity was able to find his owners thanks to his microchip.

Staff were surprised to see Lammy arrive at their centre in the early hours of the new year. Thankfully for the Toy Poodle, he was microchipped, and his owners’ information was up to date on the chip’s data, allowing Battersea to quickly contact his owners. Within two hours of arriving at the centre, Lammy was reunited with his very relieved family, who had been looking for him relentlessly since he had vanished the night before.

While Lammy was reunited with his family quickly, unfortunately it is not the case for all of the stray animals that come into Battersea’s care. The charity’s 2022 annual statistics show a troubling decline in effective microchipping of both cats and dogs.

In 2022, only 18 per cent of stray dogs and two per cent of stray cats brought to Battersea were able to be reunited with their owners through a microchip, and three out of five cats (59 per cent) brought to the centres were not microchipped at all, highlighting major problems in effective feline microchipping. Whether or not an animal has a microchip with up-to-date details has a direct impact on the charity’s ability to reunite pets with their owners.

According to the charity’s latest pet microchipping report, local authorities have also reported a nine percentage points increase from 2021 to 2023 in stray dogs without a microchip, with 72 per cent of microchipped dogs having inaccurate owner data — up significantly from 63 per cent in 2021. This is despite a legal requirement for all pet dogs to have a microchip with correct owner information since 2016.

Battersea warns cat and dog owners that failure to keep their contact details updated on microchipping databases also leaves staff unable to notify the owners when a pet is brought into their care.

Sarah Hughes, Rehoming and Welfare Manager at Battersea, said: "When stray dogs arrive with microchips, we can usually arrange an emotional reunion with the owners, sparing heartache for all involved. Sadly, a lot of stray dogs that we suspect are someone’s pets still don’t have microchips with accurate information, preventing us from contacting their owners.

“With greater responsibility from pet owners to update their contact details in microchip registries, we can reunite many more pets and spare countless families from needless suffering.”

For further advice on pet microchipping, visit the Battersea website here: https://www.battersea.org.uk/. You can also find out more in Battersea’s latest Microchipping report.

Battersea highlights importance of microchipping pets as charity reveals only 2% of stray cats are reunited with their owner

Katie Court — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 12:00:00 +0000

A new report on pet microchipping from animal welfare charity Battersea, shows a troubling decline in effective microchipping of both cats and dogs.

In 2022, only two per cent of stray cats brought to Battersea were able to be reunited with their owners through a microchip, and three out of five cats (59 per cent) brought to the centres were not microchipped at all, highlighting major problems in effective feline microchipping. Whether or not an animal has a microchip with up-to-date details has a direct impact on the charity’s ability to reunite pets with their owners.

Unfortunately, this was the reality for one-year-old cat, Kina. Kina was found in good health but roaming in a park alone by a passerby and brought to the charity’s London centre. From her very friendly nature and beautiful, shiny coat, staff strongly suspected she had been someone’s pet, but as she was found with no microchip, staff were unable to trace where she had come from. Sadly, no previous owners were found, but the rehoming staff were soon able to find Kina a new loving home.

From 10 June 2024, a new law will require all cat owners in England to have their cats microchipped. Cat owners found not to have microchipped their cat by this date will have 21 days to have one implanted or may face a fine of up to £500.

Rachel Saunders, Cattery Manager at Battersea, said: "When a microchipped cat is brought to us as a stray, we can usually orchestrate a joyful reunion, sparing heartache for owners, but for most stray cats we take in, there is no chip at all, leaving us unable to trace where they may have come from.”

Battersea further warns cat and dog owners that failure to keep their contact details updated on microchipping databases leaves staff unable to notify the owners when a pet is brought into their care.

Rachel added: “With greater responsibility from cat and dog owners to update microchip information, we can reunite many more pets and spare countless families from needless suffering.”

While cat microchipping rates are troublingly low, dogs are also being failed by inaccurate data and absent microchips.

Local authorities have reported a nine percentage points increase from 2021 to 2023 in stray dogs without a microchip to Battersea, with 72 per cent of microchipped dogs having inaccurate owner data — up significantly from 63 per cent in 2021. This is despite a legal requirement for all pet dogs to have a microchip with correct owner information since 2016.

Thankfully functional microchips with updated data have given the charity the means to orchestrate uplifting reunions for a number of pets and their families.

Handsome two-year-old Alfie was brought into Battersea’s London centre as a stray cat. After a stranger found him roaming about wearing a collar with an AirTag and assumed he was lost. Luckily Alfie was microchipped, and when Battersea called his owner, it was quickly learned that while he had been out since the early morning, he was not missing at all. Alfie's relieved owner rushed to collect him within the hour, and thanks to his up-to-date microchip, he and his family were happily reunited right away.

As Battersea marks 140 years of first taking in cats, providing them with the love, fuss and expert care they deserve, the charity shines a light on stories like Alfie’s, Pebble’s and Kina’s - celebrating the cats in care while underscoring the urgent need for responsible microchipping. Battersea scans every animal for a microchip when they first arrive and will make sure every dog and cat is microchipped before going on to their new homes.

For further advice on pet microchipping, visit the Battersea website here: https://www.battersea.org.uk/. You can also find out more in Battersea’s latest Microchipping report here.

Your Pets Daily - Dog microchipping

Thousands breaking the law by not microchipping their dog

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10-YEAR-OLD DOG REUNITED WITH HIS OWNERS ON NEW YEAR’S DAY THANKS TO HIS MICROCHIP

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Battersea highlights importance of microchipping pets as charity reveals only 2% of stray cats are reunited with their owner

A new report on pet microchipping from animal welfare charity Battersea, shows a troubling decline in effective microchipping of both cats and dogs.

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