Thousands of dogs go missing every year and sadly many do not make it home. The last Annual Stray Dog Survey from The Dogs Trust revealed some shocking statistics…
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At any one time there are more than 110,000 Stray Dogs in the UK
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72% of owners are unaware that if their dog is lost they have only 7 days to claim their dog if it has been found by local authorities before it is put down
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21 dogs a day are put down by local authorities
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29% of Dog Owners will lose their dog at least once in its lifetime
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The number of stray and abandoned dogs handled by councils last year was 110,675
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It’s not all bad news though, 10,084 dogs were reunited with their owners thanks to being microchipped
It should be common sense that if your dog gets lost and it is found and it has a microchip with up to date details, it can be reunited with you. However there are approx. 8 million dogs in the UK and according to Government statistics only 60% of these are already microchipped. If you are in the other 40% then you have until April 2016 to microchip your dog before microchipping becomes compulsory.
Where can I get Free Microchipping in London for my Dog?
The Dogs Trust
The Dogs Trust offer free microchipping in London at special events as well as at over 1500 veterinary practices and their centres.
The events happen across London so there should be one not too far away from you. Here are some of the events coming up:
- January 28th 2015: Little Wormwood Scrubs (Kensington and Chelsea, W10) 11am-3pm
- January 29th 2015: King George V Park (Newham, E14) 11am-3pm
- February 7th 2015, Hampstead Heath (Highgate, NW5) 11am-3pm
See the full listing of events on the Chip My Dog website. They also have a map of the participating veterinary practices on the site.
Battersea Cats and Dogs Home
Battersea Cats and Dogs Home offer free microchipping in London at their Battersea, as well as their Windsor and Brands Hatch centres. To book an appointment, call 0843 509 4444.
Blue Cross
The Blue Cross are offering free microchipping in London at their centres and hospitals. Contact your nearest centre for more information.
What to do once your dog is microchipped?
Getting your dog microchipped is not enough. You need to make sure you register your dog with one of the UK’s Microchip Databases (see below). Finally don’t forget, you also need to keep the details up to date if you move home or change telephone number.
UK Microchip Databases
Anibase 01904 487600
PetLog 0844 4633999
PetIdentity UK 01744 733229
Pet Protect 0800 0778558
Pettrac 0800 6529977
Smarttrac 0844 5420999
Here in Denmark microchipping have been compulsory for the last few years but some people haven’t got their dog microchipped nevertheless. If the authorities catch a stray dog the owner only have 3 days before the dog would be put to sleep 🙁
Author
That’s sad, 3 days is not long. Although I don’t understand why you wouldn’t get your microchipped even if it wasn’t compulsory. Especially when it can be done for free!