Council reminder over dog microchipping

A statement from the local authority read: “Every day pet owners take their dogs to be microchipped, but how many people actually think to update the details or even fully understand how the chip process works?

“A microchip is approximately the size of a grain of rice and contains a barcode number; this number is then registered with a database along with all of the information given by the pet owner at the time of chipping.

“It is important to remember that when the dog is scanned for this number the only info that is available when we contact the database is what was originally put on the form.

“This is a common problem for our enforcement officers and some other organisations including vets.

“Please make sure that if you have bought or been given a dog by someone else you have it scanned and details changed if necessary.

“If your pet is lost or stolen contact the database as well as our enforcement team.”

Microchipping should not be confused with a dog licence; by law, all dogs in Northern Ireland must have a licence and it must be renewed every year.