From 6 April, all dogs must be microchipped and owners must ensure that their registered address details are kept up to date.

Some owners could face fines of up to £500

One in five dog owners are unprepared for the impending legal change in microchipping law, new figures reveal.

From 6 April, all dogs must be microchipped and owners must ensure that their registered address details are kept up to date. Those who do not microchip their dogs within 21 days of being served notice will be liable to pay a fine of up to £500.

However, new research commissioned by the Dogs Trust shows that a quarter of the public find it hard to keep up to speed with current legislation, with a fifth (20 per cent) still yet to microchip their dogs.

Accompanying research by the charity also found that almost half (45 per cent) of owners had not chipped their dogs either because they did not know how or where to do so, or simply did not know they had to.

Adrian Burder, CEO of Dogs Trust says: “As our research shows, it can be hard to keep track of new and upcoming laws with nearly a quarter of people admitting that they find it confusing. Fortunately, there are a number of ways for the public to find out all the information they need on microchipping and updating a dog’s chip details has never been easier; you can do it online, by telephone or by post.

“Losing a dog is an extremely upsetting time for both dog and dog owner so we welcome the new legislation due to come into effect in April. In 2015 alone Dogs Trust has microchipped over 185,000 dogs for free across our network of Rehoming Centres and we’re still working tirelessly to ensure even more dogs are given these painless but essential pieces of technology before April.”

Microchipping and updating dogs’ microchips with the correct details will be compulsory in England, Scotland and Wales from 6 April, 2016.