As of today, 6th April 2016, it is the law for all dogs in the UK over eight weeks old to be microchipped.
This means that all dogs must undergo a painless microchipping procedure, and that the details of the registered owner must be kept up to date on an approved database. Dogs which are microchipped are far more likely to be reunited with their owners if they escape or become lost; either of which could happen no matter how responsible the owner. The change in law aims to prevent dogs being stolen and sold on the black market, as well as make it incredibly easy for local councils to trace a dog’s owner within a day.
Owners that have dogs over eight weeks old that have not been microchipped from today will face a fine of up to £500. If you’re still yet to get your dog microchipped, please visit http://www.chipmydog.org.uk/ to find your nearest microchipping centre.
If you’d like to find out more, have a read through this really useful Q&A with Dog’s Trust.
What We’re Doing to Support the Change
We’ve changed our Preloved Guidelines to comply with the new regulations. As of 6th April 2016, all dogs must be microchipped in order to be advertised on Preloved as defined by The Microchipping of Dogs Regulations accross England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
You can help us by contacting us if you come across a puppy on the Preloved site that isn’t microchipped.
