From today, dog owners in the UK whose pets are not microchipped face fines of up to £500, as a new law comes into force. The requirement applies to dogs aged eight weeks or older and aims to reunite lost animals with their owners while reducing the £30 million annual cost of kennelling strays.
Cat owners are now being urged to follow suit, with animal charities calling for compulsory microchipping for felines. Cats Protection spokesman Cat Jarvis said: 'We can't stress enough how important it is that cats are microchipped. Thousands of cats go missing every year and our research has found that almost one in two cats never return.' The charity hopes the UK will follow European nations like Spain and Belgium in making microchipping mandatory for cats.
Animal welfare minister George Eustice said of the new dog rules: 'Microchipping is vital for good dog welfare and a simple solution for responsible pet owners to provide peace of mind and ensure your much-loved dog can be traced.' Councillor Simon Blackburn, chair of the Local Government Association's safer and stronger communities board, added that the law would free up public money spent on stray dogs.
Microchipping costs up to £30, though some councils and charities offer it for free. The chip, about the size of a grain of rice, is inserted under the skin at the back of the neck and contains a 15-digit code that can be scanned to identify the owner. However, some experts warn that microchipping very young dogs could be dangerous or even fatal for smaller breeds such as chihuahuas.
