Defra Announces Compulsory Microchipping

This morning, 6th February 2013, the Government announced that microchipping of all dogs in England will soon be compulsory, something we have long campaigned for. We are committing to supporting the law change by heavily investing in making microchips available for free for any dog in the UK.

In the words of our CEO Clarissa Baldwin OBE:

“For many years Dogs Trust has led the campaign for the introduction of compulsory microchipping and we applaud the decision the Government has taken which represents a hugely significant and progressive breakthrough for dog welfare.  

“As the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, reducing the UK’s stray dog population is at the very heart of what we do which is why we have committed a considerable amount of money to ensure no dog owners will lack the financial ability to microchip their dog. Currently, microchipping involves a minimal one-off cost, but the benefits last a life-time.”

Put simply, microchipping is the single most effective means of returning a dog to its owner – thus saving lives.

We are running a series of free weekend chipping events across the UK in March and April, full details of which can be found on our website.

You can also take a look at our extensive Q&A on what microchipping is and how it works.

There will be more events in the future, and we will also continue to offer free microchipping by appointment at any of our centres (call to book), as we have been since December 2011. There are also plans to offer free chips to vets, who will be able to take part on a voluntary basis.

While the change of law applies to England only, our centres in Scotland and Wales will be taking part, and we will continue the extensive work that we have been doing in Northern Ireland where we have now chipped 115,000 dogs in 18 months – roughly a third of the local dog population.

The compulsory permanent identification of all dogs means that more dogs found lost or straying can be returned to their owners and in a timelier manner. local authorities were unable to return over half (52%) of stray dogs in 2010/11, a total of 65,612 dogs, because they were unidentifiable. We believe the new measures will help reduce the burden on animal welfare charities such as Dogs Trust and reduce the cost to local authorities of kennelling, which could save the public purse approximately anywhere between £20.5 and £22.8 million per year.

We know that people will have questions about enforcement and keeping chips updated. We are stressing the importance of linking microchipping to registration, and work hard to inform owners of both the benefits of microchipping and the need to keep details updated. We don’t just focus on the owners who are already likely to comply; for example, our City Dogs campaign works with owners - particularly of so-called status dogs - in the more disadvantaged parts of London, providing free microchipping alongside advice and education.

For those concerned about compliance, our work in Northern Ireland has indicated that microchipping is a considerably more attractive option than licensing; though compliance with the licence is quite low, our microchipping programme is very popular, as owners recognise the benefits of chipping but object to what they see as being taxed to own a dog (you can read a more detailed post on why we favour microchipping over licensing here). There will also be a system of fines in place to help enforce the new law.

To be clear, we don’t believe that complulsory microchipping will solve all dog-related problems. Today’s announcement has come as part of a wider package of dog control measures for England which Dogs Trust does not believe go far enough to tackle the many issues surrounding irresponsible dog ownership, least of all dangerous dogs.  Dogs Trust would like to see an end to breed specific legislation and we believe that until a fundamental overhaul of dog legislation is undertaken, including provisions for preventative measures, dog control problems in this country will remain.

For more information, see www.chipmydog.org.uk. You can also search the hashtag #chipmydog on Twitter.

[Image: Richard Moore, Manager at Dogs Trust Harefield, demonstrates microchipping and scanning.]

Stray Dog Survey results for 2012 released

Every year, Dogs Trust commissions a survey of the country to establish, as accurately as possible, the state of the stray dog problem in the UK.

The results of the survey were released today, and you might have seen quite a bit of radio and television coverage today. Some of the key points are below, and you can see a breakdown of regional figures (compared to last year) on our website, where we will also post the full report as soon as it's available in the appropriate format.

• A shocking 118,932 stray and abandoned dogs were picked up by Local Authorities across the UK over the last 12 months, equating to a staggering 325 stray dogs being found every day.
• Of these 118,932, a significant proportion in London and other urban areas were those breeds identified as ‘status dogs’ by the media. In the Granada region the numbers of stray ‘status dogs’ have risen by 82%, in Greater London they have increased by an incredible 148%.

Dogs Trust’s City Dogs project reaches out to the owners of so called ‘status’ dogs; since its launch in 2010 the project has neutered one dog a day in Greater London, helping to reduce the number of unwanted Staffie type puppies. Dogs Trust has also provided local authorities in Greater London with 2,750 free neutering vouchers and the Metropolitan Police with an additional 200 vouchers that are largely offered to the more vulnerable owners of bull breeds.

Dogs Trust has written to DEFRA ministers to update them on the rise in numbers of abandoned ‘status’ dogs and is urging them to consider compulsory microchipping as a way to help identify irresponsible owners.

You can also read the full press release on our website.

Dogs Trust Statement: RSPCA pulls out of Crufts and Discover Dogs

The RSPCA has decided not to have its regular stall at Crufts or Discover Dogs because of the issues raised by the documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed. Here's Dogs Trust's official comment on proceedings:

Dogs Trust believes that the welfare of all dogs should be highlighted at Crufts and we have a long and successful history of celebrating and highlighting rescue dogs at the show. The recent BBC documentary raised some important issues about the breeding of pedigree dogs and Dogs Trust has passed on our recommendations to both Defra and The Kennel Club and we are liaising with them about future plans. We hope that the BBC programme has provided the impetus and muscle to bring about the necessary changes but we will be listening to our supporters and monitoring the situation very closely over the next six months.

Please feel free to add your comments below; they are all read by the relevant departments within Dogs Trust and the views of supporters do help to inform our future strategy.

Pedigree Dogs Exposed: Dogs Trust's comment on the BBC documentary about breeding

The following is a statement from Clarissa Baldwin, Chief Executive of Dogs Trust:

It was horrifying to watch last night's Pedigree Dogs Exposed programme on BBC1. I am very aware that the Kennel Club has been making significant efforts in the recent past to persuade breed clubs that they need to make more effort to eradicate genetic disease and carefully control inbreeding. We hope this programme provides them with the impetus and muscle to accelerate their plans.

Dogs Trust is aware that there are many genetic defects in pedigree dogs which cause significant health and welfare problems. We see many afflicted dogs in our Rehoming Centres and deal with the consequences. Not just the physical problems but also the mental anguish. Dogs Trust recognises that the majority of breeders are responsible and prioritise the welfare of their dogs but we believe that the following four steps would help reduce the suffering of some pedigree dogs.

1. Existing legislation needs to be changed to prevent inappropriate breeding practices such as those highlighted in the programme.

2. There needs to be genetic screening of all breeding stock and the assured integrity of such a process.

3. Breed standards need to be reviewed and where necessary revised to ensure they are firmly focused on the health and well being of the dog, not the aesthetics of the breed. Breeders and show judges must adhere to these revised breed standards.

4. When people buy a dog, they need to think about where they are buying it from. Although we always urge people to first consider a rescue dog, if they do want a pedigree, people should buy from a Kennel Club accredited breeder. They must find out the dogs genetic heritage and get a screen test before buying. Let's not pander to uncaring breeders.

We will be working with the Kennel Club and DEFRA on these points, but I urge Dogs Trust supporters who watched the documentary and want to help bring about constructive change to write to Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health at Defra requesting the above steps. Similarly we would welcome our supporters’ suggestions of how the situation can be improved.