Microchipping                                                                                    

Thousands of pet dogs are lost every year. Even the most careful and loving owners can lose their dogs. Sadly, many of these dogs and owners are never reunited. Some are lucky and are rehomed but many dogs are still destroyed in stray dog pounds every year.
The best way to ensure you find a missing dog is to have it microchipped - implanted with a special microchip 'tag'. It is quite simply the quickest and surest way of getting any lost dog back to its owner safe and sound. Please remember to also update your microchip details if you move, or change phone numbers.

All Hope Rescue dogs are microchipped in our name and remain so for the rest of their lives.  We also have 6 volunteers trained by the Dogs Trust to microchip.

The Story of a Lucky Little Dog

This sad and nervous little old boy found himself in the pound. With no identification it was unlikley he could be reuinited. Hope Resuce managed to secure a rescue space for him after his 7 days were up.  When we rang the pound to tell them, we were told that he had been reunited with his elderly owner. The man had been taken ill and whilst the paramedics forced entry, the little dog had escaped. Purely by chance, a friend of the owner's son mentioned the pound. The son rang and they were tearfully reunited - needless to say they were both overjoyed to see  each other. The owner will make sure he gets his dog microchipped and that he wears a collar tag at all times. You never know what could happen to your dog through no fault of your own. 

Dogs Trust Call for Compulsory Microchipping to Halt the Stray Dog Problem

We fully support the Dogs Trust call for compulsory microchipping, as outlined in their recent press release (August 2009):

"A staggering 107,228 stray and abandoned dogs were picked up by Local Authorities from UK streets in the last year, according to Dogs Trust’s 2009 Stray Dog Survey. This represents an unacceptable increase of 11% and is the highest increase recorded since records began in 1997.

Dogs Trust strongly believes that 2008’s change in stray dog law in England and Wales, whereby police no longer hold statutory responsibility for stray dogs, may explain this sudden increase. The charity also fears that the current financial crisis may have had an impact in some areas.

With over 9,000 unclaimed stray dogs put to sleep by Local Authorities, the charity is calling on the Government to introduce compulsory microchipping for all dogs in the UK. It hopes this will reduce the problem and help reunite owners with their lost pets and trace abandoned pets back to irresponsible owners.

In the last year, of those stray dogs that were returned to their owners, 31% were returned due to being microchipped  – with compulsory microchipping many more could be reunited.

The annual survey, conducted by GfK NOP on behalf of Dogs Trust, shows a startling increase from the previous year. Despite the sustained efforts of both animal welfare organisations and Local Authorities, on average 12 stray and abandoned dogs an hour are now handled by Local Authorities. Each hour:• 5 are reunited with their owners • 3 are taken to welfare organisations • 1 is rehomed from the Local Authority kennels • 2 are in kennels for their seven day holding period • 1 dog is put to sleep

Dogs Trust Chief Executive Clarissa Baldwin says:

“This is the largest annual increase since our records began in 1997. Previously we had seen a steady decline, but the latest statistics show a huge jump in the number of stray dogs both handled and put to sleep by Local Authorities. Some dog wardens mentioned the recession could have been an attributing factor to the increase, while others cited the change in the stray dog law last April.

We believe that the time is right to review the Control of Dogs Order and are calling on the Government to introduce compulsory microchipping of all dogs in the UK. Microchipping is an essential part of being a responsible dog owner and has helped so many people become reunited with their beloved pets.”

Compulsory microchipping already has significant support in the UK. Over 90% of Local Authorities and veterinary surgeons and almost 90% of dog owners are in favour of its introduction according to Dogs Trust research. To date 45 MPs have signed a supportive Early Day Motion (EDM) for the campaign and the charity has received additional support regionally from local MPs from all three of the main parties.

The introduction of Compulsory Microchipping would:•