Dogs Trust urges dog owners to take up offer of free microchips before April 2012

I write to you as the countdown to the introduction of compulsory microchipping in April 2012 edges ever closer. At Dogs Trust we have been working with Local Authorities since May of last year to offer FREE microchips to the dog owning public in Northern Ireland. As a result we have successfully chipped over 100,000 dogs, but we still have a long way to go.

To help as many people benefit from the offer of a free microchip before the legislation is introduced Dogs Trust is arranging 105 roadshows across the country between the beginning of January and the end of March

Microchipping is the most effective way of ensuring lost dogs are returned to their owners. However, many pet dogs currently remain unidentifiable. In 2011 local authorities took in over 9,119 stray dogs, of which a shocking 1,762 were put to sleep. And there are also financial benefits as recent independent research has revealed that if Government were to introduce compulsory microchipping it could save the public purse between £20.5 and £22.8 million per year. What’s more it already has the backing of the public; a recent public survey found that 83% of those asked were strongly in favour of compulsory microchipping.

We hope to see lots of the dog owning readers at the upcoming events. To find out when Dogs Trust is coming to your town please email [email protected].

Yours sincerely

Ronnie Milsop, Dogs Trust Campaigns Manager NI