Dogs Trust is offering free dog Microchipping Certificate Amnesty as part of National Chipping Week 2019.
The week runs from August 12-18 and is in association with government-approved microchipping database Fido.
In April 2016 it became a legal requirement to have your dog, microchipped, registered with a government-approved database (FIDO) and be in possession of an up-to-date Microchipping Certificate.
Although since then a staggering 14,200* dogs have been reunited with their owners, it is still a common occurrence that dogs arriving into local authority pounds and rescue centres across the country, who have been microchipped, do not have the correct contact details recorded against their chips, rendering their owners uncontactable.
That is why this year the charity will be offering a Microchip Certificate Amnesty, allowing dog owners across the country to avail of a free microchipping certificate from Fido, once their dog is already chipped.
Dogs Trust wants to ensure that every dog in Ireland can be swiftly returned to their owners should they become lost or separated from them.
If you are unsure of your dog’s microchip number, visit your local veterinary practice and ask to have your dog scanned with a microchip reader.
As a practicing Veterinary Surgeon, Pete Wedderburn sees both sides of the problems caused by out of date microchip details and said “
Members of the public often bring stray dogs that they’ve found to our clinic to be checked and it’s incredibly frustrating to discover the microchip that we find is not registered to the dog’s owner.
The dog cannot be reunited with their owner and can even end up going to the pound to face an uncertain future
I also come across dog owners who have lost their dogs and their distress is made worse when they discover that their details were incorrect on the chip; someone may have been trying to contact them with news about their dog, and they have missed that opportunity for reconnection.”
Dogs Trust currently has 139 dogs looking for their forever homes.
See www.DogsTrust.ie/Microchipping for more information.
