Dog owners fined after failing to update microchip details
Two dog owners have been successfully prosecuted by Three Rivers District Council
Two dog owners have been successfully prosecuted by Three Rivers District Council for failing to register their dog's microchip details on a government-approved database.
The owners were prosecuted at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on 14 April 2021 under the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015. They were both found guilty in their absence of failing to update the microchip details of their dogs.
One owner, of St George’s Drive, Carpenders Park, was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £500 and a victim surcharge of £50.
Another owner, of Solesbridge Lane, Chorleywood, was fined £700 and ordered to pay costs of £700 and a victim surcharge of £70.
Magistrates heard how both owners had their dogs seized after being reported as stray. Neither of the dogs was wearing an identity tag and the microchip details were not up-to-date, meaning the council could not contact the owners. On claiming the dogs back from the council, each owner was served with a notice under Section 12 (a) of the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015, requiring them to update the details of their dog’s microchip within 21 days.
Both owners failed to comply – despite each being served with a final opportunity to comply with the notice, which effectively gives a dog owner an extra seven days to meet the requirements of the legislation.
Welcoming the prosecution, Ray Figg, Head of Community Services, said: “It became compulsory by law for all dogs to be microchipped in April 2016. Hopefully, this outcome will act as a costly reminder to dog owners to ensure that their pet is microchipped and that details on the chip are up-to-date, for we will not hesitate to prosecute those who fail to comply.”
By law, dogs in England must be microchipped by a qualified implanter before they are eight weeks old. Once the chip is fitted, the dog's details must be registered on a government-approved database which must be updated if circumstances change – for example, if the owner moves, changes telephone number or passes the dog to someone else. For more information, owners are advised to speak to their vet.