Have you checked your dog’s chip lately?

It is the law in the UK that all dogs are microchipped. Not only microchipped, but that the chip is registered with a recognised databased, and the details are up to date. There are fines of up to £500 (plus costs) for not having the right details registered to the chip. If your chip details are up to date, it means that (should the unthinkable happen…) if your dog goes missing, they can be quickly scanned by a vet or other animal professional and you can be quickly reunited. There may still be fees payable to your Local Authority if they are the ones who return your dog, but it’s a small price to pay for their safety.

It’s quick and easy to change details. Lots of them can be done online or with a quick phonecall. Be careful if checking details online though – the top of most microchip database searches on Google comes up with a site called ‘UK pet-chip registry’ as a Google Ad. This is a scam site, that charges £15 to register your details but isn’t linked up to any official database (so pet professionals don’t use it), your contact details will then be available to anyone who puts in the microchip number, and they will continue to charge £15 per year. Official databases make a one-off charge (unless you’ve signed up for one of their premium packages) to register/amend details.

A full list of the Government approved databases can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/get-your-dog-microchipped

So, if you’ve recently:

• moved house;
• changed phone number;
• changed email address;
• changed your name

then please contact your chip provider and update the details.

Chips can migrate, or stop working, too. It’s worth asking your vet on every visit if they can check that it’s still working.

Somerset Dog Walking offer a Chip Checking service too – if you are a client and have added your microchip number to the Client Data section of your online portal, we will check the chip once a month for your peace of mind.