Ash Croft Vets
Hardwick
169 St Neots Road
Hardwick
Cambridge, CB23 7QJ
Tel: 01954 210250
Papworth
Pendrill Court
Papworth
Cambridgeshire, CB23 3UY
Tel: 01480 831615
Emergency Out of Hours
Tel: 08455 004247
Id Chip - the Law
Dogs - ID Chips are compulsory and are a legal requirement
Advice for buyers
Puppy buyers should not buy a dog from a breeder unless it has been microchipped and recorded on a database.
When buying a puppy, you will be provided with microchipping documents which will allow you to transfer keepership on the database (though your breeder may do this for you). If you do not receive microchipping documents then you should not buy the puppy.
Advice for owners of dogs without a microchip
All dog owners are responsible for ensuring their dogs are microchipped and recorded, regardless of whether they got the dog before the legislation on microchipping came into effect (2016).
If your dog has not been microchipped, you must have this done by an authorised implanter. Failure to do so will result in £500 fine if caught and prosecuted.
Fines
If a dog without a microchip comes to the attention of the authorities, its keeper may be served with a notice requiring the dog to be microchipped, and may face criminal prosecution and a £500 fine if they do not comply with the notice. If this notice is ignored then a fine of up to £500 can be issued or an enforcer can seize the dog and microchip it at the keeper’s expense.
In addition, if the breeder or subsequent keepers of the dog do NOT update the dog’s details on a database that is compliant with the regulations, then a notice may be served requiring the keeper to microchip the dog within 21 days of the served notice.
Advice for breeders (A breeder is any person that has bred a litter of puppies)
If you are a breeder in the UK, you must ensure that all puppies are microchipped and recorded on a government compliant database by the time they are eight weeks old and before they go to the new owner. It is essential that you, rather than the puppy buyer, are the first recorded keeper on the database.
Puppy buyers should not buy a dog from a breeder unless it has been microchipped and recorded on a database.
When buying a puppy, you will be provided with microchipping documents which will allow you to transfer keepership on the database (though your breeder may do this for you). If you do not receive microchipping documents then you should not buy the puppy.
Advice for owners of dogs without a microchip
All dog owners are responsible for ensuring their dogs are microchipped and recorded, regardless of whether they got the dog before the legislation on microchipping came into effect (2016).
If your dog has not been microchipped, you must have this done by an authorised implanter. Failure to do so will result in £500 fine if caught and prosecuted.
If your dog already has a microchip, it is your responsibility to ensure that the contact details that correspond with that chip are kept up to date.
If a dog without a microchip comes to the attention of the authorities, its keeper may be served with a notice requiring the dog to be microchipped, and may face criminal prosecution and a £500 fine if they do not comply with the notice. If this notice is ignored then a fine of up to £500 can be issued or an enforcer can seize the dog and microchip it at the keeper’s expense.
In addition, if the breeder or subsequent keepers of the dog do NOT update the dog’s details on a database that is compliant with the regulations, then a notice may be served requiring the keeper to microchip the dog within 21 days of the served notice.
