CHERRYDOWN Vets has joined the Dogs Trust Microchipping Through Vets Campaign
Cherrydown Vets, in Basildon, Wickford & Stanford-le-Hope, has pledged its support to Dogs Trust’s Microchipping Through Vets Scheme and will be offering free microchipping, subsidised by Dogs Trust, to all dogs for a 12 month period.
Starting on the 1st April 2014, any local dog owner, whether or not a client of Cherrydown Vets, can contact the surgery to have their dog chipped. Microchips offer a range of benefits, not least the potential to reunite a lost pet with its owner.
Jonathan Nurse the Principal Vet at Cherrydown explains:
“Cherrydown is very happy to be working with Dogs Trust to offer free microchipping to all local dog owners. Microchipping is a simple procedure which could mean the difference between being reunited with a lost pet and never seeing them again. We hope to see lots of local dog owners taking up the offer in the months ahead! An appointment will be necessary at our Basildon branch but you only need turn up at our Wickford & Stanford-le-Hope branches during opening hours. We will be happy to chip any dogs whether or not you are registered with us.”
A microchip is a small electronic chip, around the size of a grain of rice, which is implanted under the dog’s skin and contains a unique number that can be read by a scanner.
The dog owner’s contact details relating to each number are logged on a central database, so should the dog ever go missing or be stolen it can be scanned by the authorities and returned to his owner swiftly and safely. It is vital that the owner takes responsibility for updating their details with the database should their circumstances change.
Elvira Meucci-Lyons, Head of Campaigns & Community at Dogs Trust, explains:
“Last year 111,986 stray and abandoned dogs were picked up by Local Authorities across the UK, with only 40% reunited with their owners. We hope this initiative will help to reduce the number of dogs put to sleep in council pounds because their owners cannot be traced. We are therefore delighted that Cherrydown Vets has joined the Microchipping Through Vets Campaign.”
“Microchipping will be compulsory for all dogs in England from April 2016 and Wales from April 2015 and Dogs Trust wants to ensure that all dog owners can have this simple procedure carried out for free. The vets of England and Wales are a vital part of this and we’d like to say a huge thank you to them for their support.”
To make an appointment, dog owners should call Cherrydown Vets on 01268 533636. www.cherrydownvets.co.uk
