Leeds dog owners urged to microchip their pooch

Leeds dog owners could be fined more than £500 from today as new laws on dog ownership come into force.

The legislation affects all dogs aged eight weeks and older in England, Wales and Scotland – Northern Ireland introduced a similar law in 2012.

Recent figures suggest 1.16m dogs still aren’t microchipped, despite a 70 per cent increase in the number pets being microchipped in the last month.

The change in the law is being welcomed by Leeds City Council.

Nichola Smith, dog warden, said:

“Anyone who has looked at our Leeds found dogs Facebook page recently will see that we’re still picking up dogs that aren’t microchipped or if they are, we can’t contact their owners as the details are out of date.

“By making microchipping compulsory, hopefully owners will be encouraged to take action. If the worst should happen and a dog strays or is lost, we’ll be able to identify them and happily reunite them with their registered owner much more quickly.”

Details of dogs picked up by the wardens are posted on their Facebook Page.

Councillor Mark Dobson, executive member for environmental protection and community safety, said:

“We want to work with people to help them keep on the right side of the law.

“It’s in the owners and dogs best interest if a dog is microchipped so I’d encourage anyone with a dog or thinking about getting a dog to make sure it is chipped and that they’ve registered the right details.

Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are inserted into the loose skin between a dog’s shoulderblades with a sterile needle. Implanting the chip will feel like a standard injection for a vaccination.

Making microchipping compulsory will help ensure lost or stolen dogs can be identified and reunited with their owners.

If selling your dog or giving it to a new owner, the dog must be microchipped before you do so. It’s up to the new owner to ensure their contact details are registered.

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