How Microchips Keep Puppies & Kittens Safe
A few small jobs in the first week mean your new puppy or kitten can always be traced back to you, from the chip under their skin to the tag on their collar.
A new puppy or kitten brings a stream of first jobs: food, bed, the first vet visit... The safety basics can slip down the list in all of that, but they're worth prioritising. They only take a couple of hours and they’re how someone who finds your pet gets them back to you. The three to sort are a microchip, a registered record and the right collar and tag.
Your first-week checklist
There are four identification steps to sort in the first week.
- Check your puppy or kitten is microchipped, or book the appointment. If yours isn’t chipped yet, our guide to what to expect at the microchipping appointment covers the visit. Our page on where to get a puppy or kitten microchipped covers who does it and what it costs.
- Make sure the chip’s record is registered to you, with your name, address and phone number.
- For a puppy, fit a collar and tag before their first trips out.
- For a kitten, choose a quick-release collar.
A collar and tag for your puppy
A collar and tag matter from the first day your puppy is out and about. In England, Wales and Scotland, by law a dog in public must wear a collar with your name and address on it or on a tag attached to it. That applies even if the dog is microchipped.
Anyone who finds your puppy can read the tag and ring you without needing a scanner. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home’s 2026 report found that only 2.6% of stray dogs wore a collar and tag with correct information. So it’s worth checking the details on your tag are right.
The law asks for your name and address only; adding your phone number is your choice. The duty only applies in public, so your puppy doesn’t need the collar on at home.
A safe collar for your kitten
A kitten’s collar needs to come off if it snags. A quick-release or snap-opening collar is the safest kind, fitted so you can get two fingers underneath. Avoid elasticated ones.
Collar accidents can cause serious injury, and a collar can come off or get lost while a microchip stays in place. So treat the collar and tag as a helpful extra for a kitten, and the chip as the identification you rely on.
Adding a Smart Pet Tag
A Smart Pet Tag gives the person who finds your pet a quick way to reach you. It costs £14.99 plus postage and packing, and it carries a QR code linked to your pet’s Pet Database record. It has no GPS and cannot track your pet.
When someone scans the tag, they see your contact information, plus anything else you choose to show, and you’re notified by SMS and email every time it’s scanned. Pet Database calls those notifications Safety Pings. The Smart Pet Tag goes on the collar next to the engraved tag, and the chip stays the permanent identification.
Check the chip is registered to you
If your puppy or kitten came with a chip, the number should be on the paperwork the breeder or rescue gave you. Don’t assume the record is already in your name.
To check, enter the chip number in our chip checker. It’s free to use and needs no account, searches multiple UK databases at once, and shows whether the chip is registered and which database holds the record. It won’t show the registered owner’s contact details.
A vet, warden or rescue can look up the registered owner’s details on Pet Database to get in touch. A member of the public is never shown those private contact details. When a vet, warden or rescue logs on to view your record, Pet Database notifies you. So if your pet goes missing, you aren’t left wondering whether anyone is looking: you’ll know the moment a professional checks your pet’s record.
If the record is still in the breeder’s or rescue’s name, you can start the transfer yourself. On Pet Database you find the chip number, confirm you’re the new owner and add your name, address and phone number. You don’t have to contact the previous owner first. You can register your pet’s microchip or transfer it online.
Register your pet’s chip in your name so it can always lead back to you. While the paperwork from the breeder or rescue is still to hand, enter the chip number and register the details with Pet Database.
