Derby residents will have the chance to have their dogs microchipped or update their details for free on Sunday 5 March.
Derby City Council’s Dog Warden team will be hosting the free event at Marketon Park’s Community room in the Craft Village between 11.00am and 3.00pm.
The free service is available for all dog owners in the city. Just bring your furry friend and a form of photo ID with you. If you’re unsure whether your dog has been microchipped the team can check and update the microchipping database with the correct information.
In England, Wales, and Scotland, all dogs over the age of eight weeks must be microchipped and wear a collar with an ID tag. If you own a dog, you are also responsible for keeping the microchip information up to date.
A microchip is a small identification device (about the size of a grain of rice) that connects a dog to their owner. Each microchip has a unique number that can be read by a scanner and once fitted should last the rest of your dog's life. If your dog is microchipped and goes missing, our dog wardens can scan the dog to locate you as an owner.
Councillor Matthew Eyre, Cabinet Member for Community Development, Place and Tourism, said:
“Derby City Council has a statutory duty to care for stray dogs found in our area. Every year, our Dog Wardens respond to a number of calls where dogs are not microchipped or whose chip information is inaccurate. This can cause a significant delay in reuniting you with your dog, as well as an increase in the fee you pay while your dog is in our care.
“The welfare of your dog is at the heart of the service we provide, and our Dog Wardens go to considerable lengths to reunite you with your dog as soon as possible.
“We're hosting this free event to help our residents ensure their dogs are microchipped and also that contact information is up to date.”
Dog Wardens will be at Marketon Park’s Community room in the Craft Village between 11.00am and 3.00pm on Sunday 5 March.
If you don’t microchip your dog, officers can issue you a notice requiring you do so within 21 days, otherwise you may be prosecuted and fined up to £500.