More than 100 dogs microchipped at a Winchester City Council event
To help with the new change in legislation, the Animal Welfare Team at Winchester City Council held a free event to have dogs chipped on 1 April.
Dog owners are reminded that they will have to microchip and register their pet before a new law comes into force on 6 April 2016.
Winchester City Council’s Animal Welfare Officer May Carrington said:
We were really pleased with such a great turnout. We successfully microchipped 104 dogs which in turn makes our job easier!
If a dog goes astray then we’re able, with a microchip, to trace the owners. Collars and tags can become lost or removed, but microchipping is a permanent way of identifying your pet.
The new law is part of the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 and makes it compulsory for all dogs over the age of eight weeks to be fitted with microchips, registered to an approved database and for the details on the chip to be kept up to date.
The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and will be officially registered with an approved microchip database, which holds information about the dog and its owners contact details.
Failure to get your dog microchipped and registered could result in you being issued with a notice giving you 21 days to get your dog chipped. If this isn't complied with, this could result in a £500 fine.
You can get your dog microchipped by going to your local veterinary practice.