Compulsory dog microchipping

It is a legal requirement that all dog keepers have their dogs microchipped and registered on one of the authorised databases.

There are three main reasons for the compulsory microchipping of dogs:

• to help reunite strays with their owners
• to help tackle puppy farming
• to encourage responsible ownership

All dogs that are eight weeks of age or older, and not a working dog, will need to be chipped and registered.

The dog warden will enforce the law if your dog is:

• not microchipped
• not registered on an authorised database (such as Petlog)
• your dog's details are not kept up to date

You may be served a notice insisting that your dog is chipped within 21 days. The dog warden can take possession of a dog to check if it is chipped or to arrange for the procedure to take place.

Updating your dog's microchip

If you move or change your phone number, it is important to tell the microchip database so they can update their records. You can find their details by looking at your dog's paper work.

If you sell your dog or give it to a new keeper, you must arrange for the details on the dog's microchip to be changed.

Buying a dog

When you buy a puppy, it must be chipped and registered to the person who bred the dog. You must also check that they are licensed, you can call us on 01483 505050 for further information.