Keep your dog’s microchip up to date

According to Dog’s Trust, a charity in the UK, between April 2015 and March 2016, 37,283 dogs were left unclaimed in shelters. One in eight had chips, but couldn’t be returned to their owners as the chips had not been updated.

Dog’s Trust carried out a survey of local authority kennels which revealed the findings and also found that 3,463 dogs had been destroyed during that time.

Micro-chipping is now a legal requirement in most countries, and there is little argument why people who proclaim to care for their canine friends wouldn’t microchip, even if it wasn’t law. How else is your furry friend going to find his way home especially if you move or visit an unknown area? Gates are sometimes unwittingly left open. Fences blow down. Be aware and safeguard your furry friend.

BBC Radio 4 spoke to Jon Gerlis at Dog’s Trust who said that only 9% of dog owners saw updating a chip when moving as a priority, this compared unfavourably with updating a television.

Although the total number of strays, handled by councils in UK, had decreased by 21% to 81,050 there is still a lot of work to be done.

Chief Executive of Dog’s Trust, Adrian Burder said that with over 37,000 dogs unclaimed last year, the local authorities just don’t have the resources to care for every dog.

Did you know that chips can move? They have been known to travel away from the place they were implanted. Vets will usually scan a large area to locate a chip, but not everyone is thorough. Chips can also, for no apparent reason, become unresponsive.

Next time you visit the vet, ask him to check the chip is still active, and check the details are up to date. A chip is not a set it and forget it electronic device. Things do go wrong, and your dog’s life could depend on it.

Stay safe,

Pippa Pennington