Croydon Council’s dog warden service will be holding a free microchipping event at Wandle Park on Friday 11 March.
The event, from 11am to 4pm, will be run in partnership with animal charity Dogs Trust.
Dog owners are encouraged to get their pets microchipped ahead of the new law that will make this compulsory.
All dogs over eight weeks of age (in England and Scotland) must be microchipped and registered with their keepers’ contact details before Wednesday 6 April, under new regulation.
“Microchipping has many welfare benefits – it deters dog theft, helps unite people more quickly with lost or stolen pets, and means all puppies are traceable to their breeder.
This last point is vital in helping reduce the problem of puppy farming and lessening the incidence of infectious disease and inherited defects from which many of these dogs suffer.”
Councillor Mark Watson, cabinet member for communities, safety and justice
The information will be kept on an officially registered database that will hold details about the dog and its owners.
Breeders and keepers will also have a responsibility to keep their dogs’ details up to date.
Anyone breeding dogs must be the first registered keeper of the puppies, and it will be illegal for the breeder to not be listed as a keeper on the database. All imported dogs will need to have a microchip.
The breeder must also provide microchipping documents to the puppy’s buyer to ensure the new owner can update their details to comply with the law.
When the new rules come into effect, the keeper of a dog without a microchip may be served with a notice requiring the dog to be microchipped, and may face criminal prosecution and a £500 fine if they do not comply with the notice.
Dog owners who cannot make it to the Wandle Park event can call the council on 020 8726 6000, or email doginfo@croydon.gov.uk
The dog warden will then make contact to schedule an appointment, or to advise where the next free microchipping event is being held.
All owners of dogs collected as strays will also be offered the free microchipping service on return of their dog.
