Compulsory Microchipping of Dogs - One Year On

Thu, 06 Apr 2017

So, it's been one year since the introduction of compulsory microchipping of dogs in England, Wales and Scotland.


In that time there have been quite a few changes, not least of all that more pets have been microchipped and a large number of pet owners have updated their contact details to ensure that they can be contacted in the event that a pet strays.


The big change


The big change with the introduction of the new legislation was the requirement for breeders to be the first registered keeper on the microchip database.


Under the English legislation a breeder of a puppy is defined as 'the owner of the bitch which gave birth to it' which means that the term 'breeder' is not restricted to a breeder in the traditional sense.


This often comes as a surprise to households where there has been an 'accidental litter' or they do not consider themselves a commercial breeder.


In the case that the breeder is registered with a Local Authority then they should also provide their registration details when registering a pet microchip.


What's next?


Whilst the number of pets being implanted has largely returned to pre-April 2016 levels, with the first year anniversary of the introduction of the legislation approaching, it is expected that there will be another rise in the number of pet owners getting their pets microchipped as there will no doubt be more media coverage surrounding the issue.


We also see trained implanters being a lot more savvy about where they buy their microchips and the associated services and costs. This is particularly important for breeders as some databases will make charges for the transfer from the breeder to the new keeper. Obviously where there's a litter of 8 or 10 puppies this cost can add up and breeders are looking for alternative microchip suppliers.


If you're a trained implanter and looking for more information on our FREE transfer for breeders system click here or for microchip products click here.




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