DOG owners should know that having their pets micro-chipped has been a legal requirement since Wednesday, 6 April and two micro-chipping events are being held in the borough in the next few days, on 13 April and 16 April.
Thurrock Council’s trading standards team has issued the following advice:
It is now a legal requirement in England that all dogs are micro-chipped and registered with their keeper’s contact details by the time they are eight weeks old;
All keepers, including breeders, must also ensure a dog’s microchip contact details are kept up to date;
The only exemption from the requirement to micro-chip is where a vet has certified in writing that the dog is unfit to be chipped;
Anyone breeding dogs will be responsible for micro-chipping puppies before they sell or give them to new keepers;
Breeders will be required to register their own details and these will be recorded against the micro-chip for the life of the dog;
If a dog is brought into England temporarily, for example when visiting family or friends and staying more than 30 days, it will need to be micro-chipped and registered; and
If a dog without a microchip comes to the attention of the authorities, the dog’s keeper may be served with a notice requiring the dog to be micro-chipped within 21 days, and may face criminal prosecution and a £500 fine if they do not comply.
Trading standards add that micro-chipping has a number of benefits, including: making all puppies traceable to their breeder, helping reduce puppy farming and lessening the incidence of infectious disease and inherited defects; being a deterrent to dog theft; allowing rapid return of lost dogs and lessening the likelihood of a dog straying again; making identification easier; enabling veterinary surgeons to contact dog owners for emergency procedures; and allowing identification of dogs in emergency situations.
The two chipping events are organised by the dogs Trust and offer the chipping free of charge.
The first is on Wednesday, 13 April, at Daisy Fields, St Chad’s Road, Tilbury, between 10am and 2pm. The second is on Saturday, 16 April, at St Nicholas’ Church, The Green, South Ockendon, between 10am and 3pm.
