The ManxSPCA have released a statement welcoming the Department of the Environment, Food and Agriculture’s plan for a public consultation about the introduction of compulsory microchipping of dogs. Legislation regarding this is already in place in some parts of the British Isles and by 2016 it will be a legal requirement throughout the UK.
Apart from the obvious advantage of enabling an owner to trace a lost dog, there are other welfare benefits and, for a small, one-off cost, these last the lifetime of the animal. All dog owners have a duty of care but it can be difficult to ensure that this responsibility is being met without a reliable form of identification and the reality is that, however caring an owner might be, there is a chance the animal could be lost or stolen.
According to Lyn Renshaw, Sanctuary Manager at Ard Jerkyll, “Microchipping provides veterinary practices, charities and dog wardens with the ability to reunite lost and stray dogs quickly and safely with their owners. It also provides easier identification in cases of animal cruelty, enables veterinary surgeons to contact dog owners for emergency procedures and although dog theft is, fortunately, rare in the Island, the recent spate of burglaries proves that the unexpected can happen over here.”
If a dog owner were to take an un-microchipped dog to UK and the animal were to go missing, there could be a case for prosecution as it would be a breach of UK law.
“The ManxSPCA will do everything possible to support DEFA in this initiative and we hope that it will gain public support, especially at this time when animal welfare legislation is also under discussion as the two issues are closely related,”’ added Lyn.
