DEFRA releases dog microchipping stats

Posted: 13 April 2017 at 12:18 pm

Latest figures from DEFRA have revealed 95% of UK dogs are implanted with a microchip.

Dogs Trust statistics show that more than 43,000 strays were reunited with their owners in 2015/16; a fifth of these as a direct result of a microchip, proving how important microchipping is in ensuring lost dogs are reunited with their owners.

The charity said 1 in every 8 of the 37,000 stray and abandoned dogs that remained unclaimed in local authority kennels last year couldn’t be reunited with their owners because they did not have up-to-date microchip details.

While more needs to be done to target the minority of dog owners falling foul of the law, the legislation has overall been a positive influence over the past 12 months.

Local councils have issued 2,751 enforcement notices to owners since the legislation came into force – 1,464 for dogs not chipped and 1,287 for owners whose details are incorrect on the database. The average fine issued to dog owners was £340, with the maximum penalty recorded as £500. It is estimated fines will total around £73,000 over the next five years.