All Welsh dogs to get chips

The decision follows compulsory microchipping legislation coming into force in Northern Ireland last year and a Defra decision to introduce the policy in England from April 2016.

The Welsh Government said of the 450,000 dogs in Wales, 58% are already microchipped.

This means that there are approximately 190,000 dogs that would need to be microchipped prior to March 2015.

Minister for Natural Resources and Food, Alun Davies said:

“Dog owners already have a duty of care under the Animal Welfare Act but it can be difficult to ensure that this duty is being met without a reliable form of identification.

“By microchipping all dogs in Wales we can formalise the relationship between an owner and pet and ensure an increased level of accountability.

“The response to our consultation on the issue was overwhelmingly in favour of our plans.”

The British Veterinary Association( BVA) has warmly welcomed the decision.

Peter Jones, BVAPresident, said:

“Microchipping is a safe, effective and permanent way to link dogs to their owners and is an essential part of responsible ownership.

“t is a small cost in terms of dog ownership with veterinary practices offering microchipping at a very reasonable price or at a discount or free as part of a practice promotion.

“We will continue to lobby the Scottish Government to ensure that the whole of the UK has compulsory microchipping in place.”

In 2010/11 more than 126,000 stray dogs were collected in the UK by local councils. 52% could not be returned to their owners because they were unidentifiable.