Microchipping dogs

Any dog over the age of eight weeks is now required by the The Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 to be microchipped and registered to an approved database.

It is up to the breeder or current owner to microchip the dog and for each subsequent new owner to ensure the details have been changed and are up-to-date. 

A dog is only exempt from being microchipped if a vet certifies in writing that they cannot be microchipped for health reasons. Although the law requires dogs to wear and identification tag, these are often lost when a dog goes missing.

Microchipping is an effective and secure way of permanently identifying a pet ensuring that your dog is returned to you quickly should it go missing or be stolen.

The microchip is a small electronic device (about the size of a grain of rice) which is implanted into the dog's skin. The microchip contains a unique number which can be read with a microchip reader.

If a dog is microchipped, the dog wardens, vets and rescue centres are able to log into a secure database and obtain the details of the dog's owners.

Microchip companies

• Identichip: Telephone 01904 487 600
• Petlog: Telephone 0844 4633 999