A NEW dog legislation that will be introduced in April is currently not performed by 16 per cent of dog owners according to a report.
On April 6 2016, dog owners must have their pets chipped and ensure registered address details are kept up to date – owners who do not microchip their dogs within 21 days of being served notice will be liable to pay a fine of up to £500.
Despite the forthcoming legal change, it is estimated that there could be 120,000 unchipped dogs in the West Midlands with 20 per cent of owners in the West Midlands not having their dogs chipped because they didn’t know they had to do so.
Adrian Burder, chief executive of Dogs Trust said: “It can be hard to keep track of new and upcoming laws with over a quarter of people in the West Midlands admitting that they find it confusing.
“Fortunately, there are a number of ways for the public to find out all the information they need on microchipping and updating a dog’s chip details has never been easier – you can do it online, by telephone or by post.
“Losing a dog is an extremely upsetting time for both dog and dog owner so we welcome the new legislation due to come into effect in April.
“In 2015 alone, Dogs Trust has microchipped over 185,000 dogs for free across our network of Rehoming Centres and we’re still working tirelessly to ensure even more dogs are given these painless but essential pieces of technology before April.”
Microchipping and updating dogs’ microchips with the correct details will be compulsory in England, Wales and Scotland from April 6 2016.
To find out more information on microchip databases and how to update a microchip, visit www.chipmydog.org.uk/update-your-dogs-chip
