Pendle News Room

The law changed in April which means all dogs must be microchipped and owners need to ensure their details are kept up to date.

And help is at hand because Pendle Council has teamed up with the Dogs Trust to run another responsible dog ownership event.

As well as free microchipping and advice on how to update chip details to help dog owners stay within the law, there will be general information about caring for dogs.

The next Pendle session is on Monday 14 November from 11am – 3pm at Holt House Playing Fields (Rugby Club), Harrison Drive, Colne, BB8 9SF.

Councillor Nadeem Ahmed, who has responsibility for communities, parks and recreation, urged: “Please come along if you haven’t had your pet microchipped yet or if you’d like to check your chip service.

“Two thirds of the dogs we picked up in the last six months weren’t chipped which makes it very difficult for us to reunite much loved pets with their owners.

“Microchipping a dog is a permanent way of identifying your pet if they get lost.”

All dogs attending the session must be wearing a collar, be on a lead and with someone who is 18 years or over.

And any puppies up to the age of six months must be fully vaccinated and carried and the Dogs’ Trust will need proof of address.

The Dogs Trust may ask for proof of vaccination, too, so dog owners must bring documentation along.

Laura Robinson, Pendle Council’s Dog Warden, added: “A microchip is the size of a grain of rice under the dog’s skin and when a dog goes missing we can scan the microchip and get them home safely.

“But it’s really important that dog owners keep their microchip records up to date so that they can be contacted if their missing pet is found.

“Over a third of all the dogs we’ve picked up since April were microchipped but nearly half had the wrong addresses on the record as people had moved house.

“So if you are not sure about how to update your chip details, please come along to our session on 14 November.”

All dogs must still wear a collar and tag when out in public with their owners name and address on it even if they have been microchipped.

More information on dog chipping is available on www.chipmydog.org.uk