Get A Chip On Their Shoulder!

Dog-owners in Pembrokeshire and the rest of Wales are set to be affected by new microchipping legislation.

The Microchipping of Dogs (Wales) Regulations will be coming into force on April 6th 2016.

The regulations impose a number of legal duties. Every keeper/owner of a dog, other than a puppy under 8 weeks of age or a certified working dog, must have their dog microchipped and must have certain information recorded on a database.

This information includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• the full name and address of the keeper/breeder
• the original name or identification number given to the dog;
• the contact telephone number (if any) for the keeper;
• the email address (if any) for the keeper;
• the name given to the dog by the keeper
• the sex of the dog
• the breed of the dog, or a description if it is a cross-breed;
• the colour of the dog;
• any distinguishing features of the dog;
• the most accurate estimate of the dog’s date of birth which the keeper is capable of giving; and
• the unique number of the microchip implanted in the dog.

The regulations prevent a dog from being transferred to a new owner/ keeper until it has been microchipped.

New dog-owners are required to update the information on the database on the transfer of keeper/ownership (unless the previous owner has already done so).

Failure to comply with these regulations can result in a maximum penalty of £500.

Local Authority Officers and Police Officers are given the power to:

• serve a notice on a dog owner requiring them to microchip their dog
• have a dog microchipped and recover the cost of doing so from the keeper or
• take possession of a dog, without the consent of the owner, for the purpose of checking whether it is microchipped and, if it is not, to microchip it.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Dog Wardens currently offer FREE Microchipping for your dog.

Please call Sally on 07979 241668 or Ruth on 07833046119, or email dogcontrol@pembrokeshire.gov.uk

For more information, go online at www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/dogcontrol or view www.chipmydog.org.uk