Microchipping of dogs - Print version

As Dog Wardens, it's our job to keep stray dogs off the street and reunite them with their owners. We also promote and educate owners on responsible dog ownership. Getting your dog microchipped should be a top priority, along with registering your dog at the vet, getting your dog routinely vaccinated and treating your dog regularly for worms and fleas. We've put together further information below about the importance of having your dog microchipped, plus some tips and advice regarding keeping the details up-to-date on your dog's microchip and how this helps us reunite you with your lost dog quickly. Please note, the Council do not currently offer a service for microchipping dogs, we recommend contacting a vet to get your dog booked in for this.  

Why should you microchip your dog?

• It is a legal requirement for dogs in England to be microchipped and for the details on the microchip to remain up-to-date. Further information about The Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 requirement [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2015/9780111125243].
• Having your dog microchipped, is one of the best ways to increase your pet's chances of getting home should they become lost. Unlike dog collars and tags, which can fall off or be removed, microchipping is a permanent form of identifying your dog.
• One of the first things our Dog Wardens will check for when they find a stray dog, is a microchip! Meaning within minutes we could be contacting you to let you know we have found your dog.

From microchipping your dog to being reunited with it quickly if they get lost - how do microchips help?

• A microchip about the size of a grain of rice is inserted under your dog's loose skin on the back of the neck by a trained professional. 
• Each microchip has a unique number attached to it.
• If you are having your dog microchipped by your vet or other trained professional, they will fill in a form with you, taking note of your contact details and information about your dog.
• The details you give will be your name, address, telephone number and email address, plus details about your dog, such as the dog's breed, date of birth, gender and colour.
• The microchip implanter will then send off the paperwork and complete the registration, however, some implanters give the remaining paperwork to you to post yourself to complete the registration. Please make sure you complete the registration. Without the chip being fully registered, no details of the owner will be displayed when the microchip is scanned. This makes the whole procedure worthless unless you make sure the chip is registered! You'll also be able to keep a copy of the paperwork for your records. Keep this safe for future reference, you'll need it if you want to update the details on the microchip in future, or to pass on to the new owner if you rehome your dog.
• Within 5-10 days of the paperwork being sent off, your dog's microchip will be live on the national database.
• If your dog ever goes missing, they usually end up with a vet or a dog warden, who is able to scan your dog's microchip and retrieve the information from the database, then contact you!

Why is it important to keep the details up-to-date on your dog's microchip?

• It is a legal requirement to do this, but here are some of the practical reasons why it is also important to keep your details up to date;
• When our dog wardens collect a stray dog, one of the first things they do is scan the dog for a microchip, if the details are not up to date, it causes problems and delays in us getting your dog reunited with you.
• Sometimes mobile numbers have been changed and are no longer in use. Sometimes landlines are listed but the owner has since moved house. This is why it's important to keep telephone numbers up to date, we advise you to list 2 or 3 alternative telephone numbers on your dog's microchip so that we can get through to you, or another family member who can let you know we have your dog.
• If we can't get through to you on the telephone, or after no response from leaving a voicemail or sending a text to you, our dog wardens will post a notice to the address listed against the microchip to inform you that we have your dog. This is usually a hand-delivered notice if the registered owner lives in Coventry. However, if you move house and don't update your dog's microchip with your new address, this letter will be sent to your old address, and likely not opened and sent back to us!
• We will also try to email you if there is an email address included on the microchip database, however, if the email address is no longer in use, such as when people list work email addresses and then change jobs, it usually bounces back to us.
• Once we have tried all the above options, and we still haven't been able to make contact with you, all we can do is post a picture of your dog on our Facebook page, and hope that you see it and call us!
• All this stress for you and your pet, could all be avoided if you keep your dog's microchip up to date, and we could call you straight away and have you reunited with your dog within the hour!

How do I update the details on my dog's microchip?

• If you have your dog's microchip paperwork - Check the paperwork to find your dog's microchip number and the name of the database company your dog is microchipped with (usually Petlog [https://www.petlog.org.uk/], or Petrac [https://www.pettrac.co.uk/]). Visit the chip company's website or call them to update the details on the microchip. There is usually a fee of between £10-£15 to update the details, once you have paid the fee, some companies allow you to change the details multiple times in future without a further payment being required.
• If you do not have your dog's microchip paperwork - Take your dog to a vet to be scanned to find out what your dog's microchip number is and which microchip company they are registered with. The vet cannot make any changes for you, they can only scan the dog. You'll need to contact the microchip company yourself to make any changes and provide proof that you are the owner on the microchip.
• If you have purchased a puppy from a breeder and need to update the microchip details - A good breeder will supply you with a pack containing all of your new puppy's important paperwork and should give you advice regarding changing the details over from them to you. Make sure you do this as soon as you get home with your new puppy! Puppies can be microchipped after they reach 8 weeks old unless a vet has certified that they are too small. In which case, speak to your vet when you have your puppy registered within a month.
• If you are rehoming your dog to somebody else - It is also your responsibility to make sure the new owner changes the ownership on the microchip. When they do this, you will also be notified by the microchip company.
• If you have bought a dog to the UK from abroad - Be aware, if a dog is microchipped outside the UK and the details held are on a European database not within the UK, then we cannot always access these databases to obtain the owner's details. To find out if your dog's chip is traceable in the UK, take your dog to a vet to be scanned. The vet can then attempt to access the database to find the details held on the microchip. If they cannot trace the chip, you could find out which company the chip is registered with and speak to them for further advice. If they are unable to transfer the details over to a database traceable in the UK, you may need to get further advice from the vet about having another chip implanted. This is not usually something we recommend, only in special circumstances should a dog be implanted with two microchips.

21-day notice

If your dog comes into our kennels and does not meet The Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015 requirements, the keeper of the dog will be issued with a Notice upon collection of the dog. This Notice will inform the Keeper of the dog that they have 21 days from the date of the Notice being issued, to complete the recommended actions to meet the requirements. Failure to comply with the Notice within the set time will result in prosecution proceedings being initiated by Coventry City Council which could see the Keeper being issued a £500.00 fine, plus court costs.