How Shelters Use Microchips to Reunite Pets
From the first scan to the seven-day wait, a registered microchip is what turns a found dog into a reunited one. Knowing how the process works helps you claim yours back faster.
Once a stray dog reaches a council warden, a vet or a rescue, its microchip is used to find the owner. In England, Wales and Scotland the council has a duty to act: the dog is scanned, the database is checked, and the council holds it for seven clear days.
The scan: the first thing a vet, warden or rescue does
Every council in England, Wales and Scotland has to appoint an officer to deal with stray dogs, usually called the dog warden. If the warden has reason to believe a dog in a public place is a stray, they must seize and detain it if practicable.
The first job is finding out who the dog belongs to. The warden scans the dog for a microchip, and vet practices, rescue centres and some grooming parlours may also be able to scan, though they're unlikely to take the dog into their care.
In England, Wales and Scotland your dog must wear a collar with your name and address when out in a public place, whether chipped or not. If the dog has one, that's often the quickest route home. If not, the chip is the next best thing. In England, Wales and Scotland, once the owner is identified, the warden must serve a written notice saying the dog has been seized, where it's being kept, and that it may be disposed of if not claimed within seven clear days.
If you've found a dog yourself, in England, Wales and Scotland you must return it to the owner if you know who that is. If you don't, take the dog to the council officer for the area where you found it and tell them where you found it. The finder's side of this is covered in what to do if you find a dog.
Rescue centres start the same way. The dog and cat charity Battersea scan every animal for a microchip when it arrives.
The database check, and the call to the owner
The scan shows the chip number. That number then has to be looked up on the database that holds your record, where your name, phone number and address live. The chip itself only carries the number: it doesn't hold your details, and it doesn't track the pet. The record is what goes out of date, never the chip.
In England, the regulations limit who can see the record: a database operator must give the owner's and animal's details to an "authorised person", meaning someone authorised in writing by the Secretary of State or the local authority, or any police constable or PCSO (police community support officer). The regulations don't name vets, rescue centres or members of the public who find a pet. The warden or the police can pull the record directly.
On Pet Database, vets, wardens and rescuers can look up an owner's details to get in touch, while private contact details are never shown to the public. Pet Database also lets you know when a pet professional logs on to access your details.
The warden's register and claiming your dog
If you need to reach the warden, GOV.UK has a postcode lookup that finds your council's dog warden service, covering England and Wales. In Scotland, contact your council directly and ask for the dog warden.
In England, Wales and Scotland, every seized dog goes on a register the warden must keep, open to public inspection free of charge at all reasonable times. If your dog is missing, that's the list to ask about, alongside the steps in what to do in the first hour.
To get a seized dog back in England, Wales or Scotland, you have to pay the expenses of its detention plus a prescribed further amount. That amount is £25. Councils add their own charges on top. Merton Council, for example, lists a £120 collection fee, £30 for returning the dog from kennels and £36.96 per day for kennelling, on top of the £25 statutory fee. Fees vary by council, so ring yours and ask for its list before you go. The page on the true cost of finding a lost pet breaks these down.
The seven-day holding period and what happens to a dog nobody claims
In England, Wales and Scotland the stray dog holding period is seven clear days from seizure, or from the notice being served. After that, if the owner hasn't claimed the dog and paid what's due, the officer may sell or give it to someone who'll care for it properly, pass it to a home for stray dogs, or have it destroyed in a manner causing as little pain as possible.
Northern Ireland works differently. There, a seized stray is held for five days, after which the council may sell it or have it destroyed. The owner reclaiming a dog pays the detention and vet costs, plus any fixed penalty imposed.
In England, Wales and Scotland a dog may be put to sleep before the seven days are up if that's needed to avoid suffering.
Why your record decides whether the call reaches you
Every step in that process rests on one thing: a current record. If your record is out of date, the scan finds a number, but nobody can reach you through it.
Battersea's 2026 report found 84% of strays chipped in full compliance were reunited with their owner, against 19% of strays with no chip. The dog microchip page covers registering and keeping your record right, and how microchips help find lost pets explains how a registered chip gets a pet home.
Common questions
What happens to stray cats?
In Battersea's 2026 survey of English councils, 99% said they provide no service for stray cats because they have no statutory responsibility. Anyone reporting a stray cat is referred to local vets or welfare charities. Cats Protection scan every cat that comes into their care for a microchip.
Stray cats brought into Battersea usually stay seven days before the charity takes steps towards rehoming, which gives owners a chance to claim them. That's Battersea's own intake policy, not a legal requirement.
Do vets scan for microchips?
Yes, most will. Take a found cat to a local vet or welfare charity and ask for a scan. Many practices do this without charging, but it's worth ringing ahead to check.
Can I keep a stray dog I found?
Not straight away. If you want to keep the dog, you must tell the council officer and give your name and address. The officer then follows a set procedure before letting you take it. You must then keep the dog for at least one month if it stays unclaimed. In Scotland, a finder who keeps a dog for two months without it being claimed becomes its owner; there's no equivalent rule in England and Wales.
When a found pet has a chip, Pet Database's chip checker shows whether it's registered and which database holds the record. Keeping that record in your name and up to date is what turns a found dog into a reunited one.
