Microchips Become Mandatory for All Dogs in UK

A man and his dogs in the UK. (Miss Claeson/Flickr)

“All dogs in England to get free microchips.”

That’s the latest news from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs in the UK

The initiative, to be completed through April 2016, will force all dog owners to get dogs microchipped, which the government is offering to do for free.

“Microchipping is a simple solution that gives peace of mind to owners,” said Environment Secretary Owen Paterson in a statement. “It makes it easier to get their pet back if it strays and easier to trace if it’s stolen.”

More than 100,000 dogs are dumped or lost every year, according to the department. Out of around 8 million pet dogs in the UK, nearly 60 percent are already chipped.

Claire Horton, Chief Executive of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, said:

“Battersea warmly welcomes today’s Government announcement on microchipping in England. It’s so worrying for owners when a dog strays from home, yet a tiny microchip the size of a grain of rice means charities like Battersea can often reunite pets with their owners within hours. Having no chip in a dog can mean any reunion can take days to happen, if it happens at all. So our three centres around London will help by offering dog owners free microchipping for their dog.”

Along with the pronouncement came news that the government, specifically the police, is being new powers—the ability to prosecute dog owners for dog attacks on private property.

Excerpt:

“Eight children and six adults have been killed in dog attacks since 2005, with many of these attacks taking place in the home. In the last year alone, over 3,000 postal workers were attacked by dangerously out of control dogs, and 70 per cent of these attacks happened on private property.

Householders, however, will be protected from prosecution if their dog attacks a burglar or trespasser on their land.

Paterson added:

‘Most people take proper care of their dogs but there are a small minority of people who behave irresponsibly, allowing their dogs to threaten and attack people.

“People like health and postal workers, who have to go on private property just to do their jobs, deserve protection under the law. By giving the police extra powers to clamp down on law-breakers, those responsible for the worst offences will be held to account regardless of where the attack takes place.’”

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