What Is The Dog Microchipping Legislation? All dogs in England, Scotland and Wales are legally required to have been chipped by the time they are eight weeks old. This came into law in 2016 under the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015…
What Is The Dog Microchipping Legislation?
All dogs in England, Scotland and Wales are legally required to have been chipped by the time they are eight weeks old. This came into law in 2016 under the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 Act.
Similar dog microchipping laws exist in Wales and Scotland, as well as Northern Ireland.
What do I need to know as a dog owner?
Under the Microchipping of Regulations Action, dog owners must have their dog microchipped and even more importantly, it is their responsibility to ensure that their details are correctly held on a DEFRA compliant database, with contact details up to date.
Failure to do so could result in potential fines of up to £500 - this covers both scenarios where the dog is not microchipped or is microchipped but holds inaccurate contact details.
When did Microchipping become the law?
After the 6th April 2016, this became the law.
After this date, any keeper of a dog aged over 8 weeks must ensure it is microchipped.
You also need to provide the following information to a DEFRA compliant microchipping database:
- Your full name and address as the keeper of the dog. This is usually the person that the dog lives with.
- The name of the dog
- Your contact telephone number as the keeper to assist in reunification
- The gender and breed of the dog / puppy
- Colour and markings of the dog
- Date of birth of the dog (or a rough estimate if you don't already know)
- The microchip number that is implanted in your dog
If any of this information changes, it is vital that you notify your database - especially in situations where your contact details or location changes (ie when you move home).
Whose responsibility is to have a dog chipped?
Dog breeders will be held responsible for ensuring puppies are microchipped before they are sold to a new pet owner. They are not allowed to be sold before 8 weeks and also if they are not microchipped.
You should not remain solely reliant on the breeder having updated your details once you have bought a dog - they may not file the paperwork or make changes on the database and it is important that as a pet owner, that you check that the details of the pet are now in your name. Failure to do so will cause issues if your pet goes missing, and the details are still in the name of the breeder.
A breeder also needs to register their details with the microchip database and should be reminding the person purchasing a dog from them of their obligations to update the details on a database.
If you are an owner of an animal that gives birth to puppies, you will need to register as a breeder with a microchipping database if you are planning on selling or giving any of these puppies to another person.
Is it true that I could be fined £500?
The law stipulates the ability for you to be fined £500 if your dog is not microchipped or not registered on one of the DEFRA compliant government databases. If this is not done, you may be served notice to microchip your dog. If you do not proceed within 21 days, you will fall foul of breaking the law and have to pay £500 and potentially face criminal prosecution.
If your dog is not chipped, you can have your dog microchipped at your local vet.
You could also be fined £500 if your pet is microchipped but not registered with a database or if your details are not up to date.
Pet Database is a DEFRA compliant database that can help ensure that you meet your obligations as a pet owner, offering our services for free. You can sign up in less than a minute and help guide you through the process of getting your details up to date.
What is the law in relation to importing a dog?
From the 6th April 2016, if you are a keeper of a dog that imports a dog into the UK, it is your responsibility to ensure that within 30 days that your dog is microchipped and also the details are stored on a UK Defra compliant database.
Conclusion
Whilst it seems pretty straightforward to ensure that you are complying with the law, many dog owners are not aware that it's simply not enough to have your dog microchipped - it's also very important that your details are kept up to date. Not just from the legal perspective, but failure to keep your contact details up to date will also mean that pet re-unification is likely to be difficult.
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