Did you know that your dog must be microchipped by law before 6 April this year according to the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015? Failure to comply could lead to a £500 fine.
Winchester City Council is set to assist local dog owners by offering free microchipping. Residents are welcome to attend a free event at Mole Country Stores in Winnall on 1 April. Alternatively, if you can’t make that date but can get a group of 5 or more neighbours together to request microchipping, we’ll come to you.
A microchip is a transmitter about the size of a grain of rice. It is implanted under the dog’s skin between the shoulder blades and the microchipping doesn’t hurt any more than a normal injection. The chip bears a unique number which is displayed when a scanner passes over it.
When the database operator is contacted and given that number, they will be able to find the details of the registered keeper of the dog.
The regulations don’t just mean that your dog needs a chip but also that all the details kept on the database must be up to date too.
Dave Griffiths and May Carrington, Animal Welfare Officers at Winchester City Council, are well aware of the importance of being able to reunite dogs with their owners more quickly.
Dave said: We collect about 200 stray dogs every year and whilst a large percentage of dogs are microchipped, when we contact the microchip database, we often find that the owner’s details are incorrect or out of date.
For example, we collected 14 strays in February and 11 were microchipped but only three of those linked to the correct owner’s details.
You can go to a vet to have your pet microchipped, but why not come to our free session on April 1? The event will last from 10am to 2pm at Mole Country Stores, Easton Lane, Winnall, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 7RU. There’s no need to book; just turn up with your dog.
To contact Dave and May during office hours, call 01962 840 222 ext. 2172 or email eh@winchester.gov.uk
