There are so many important reasons to get your dog microchipped, registered on an approved database and regularly updated in case vital details change.
A microchip is a vital piece of equipment that vets and animal shelters use to find, identify and reunite lost or stolen pets with their owners, report accidents and veterinary emergencies.
Beyond this, however, it is also the law. All dogs in the UK must be on a registered database before they are two months old, and cats in England must be registered before they are 20 weeks old, whether they are indoor or outdoor cats.
Some pet owners have wondered if there are any consequences, but as a Wiltshire Council article noted, four pet owners have been prosecuted across the country for not keeping their pets’ details up to date.
The most recent case involved Ruby the Jack Russell from the historic market town of Devises, close to Stonehenge.
Ruby was wandering around the beautiful market town but did not have a collar or a visible identification tag, leading a conscientious member of the public to get in touch with the Dog Warden in case Ruby happened to be lost.
They found a microchip, but the details were outdated, meaning that she had to stay in the stray kennels for a few days until her owner came to pick her up.
She provided proof that she was the dog’s keeper, paid the fees and went about her day. However, what she did not do was comply with the microchip improvement notice she was also given.
This told her that she had to update the details on Ruby’s chip within 21 days. When she did not, she was given a notice of prosecution, did not show up for the court date nine months later and was found guilty in absentia, being forced to pay over £700 in fines and fees.
