Dog owners in the Republic have one week left to comply with new law and micro-chip their dogs.
March 31 is the deadline to have your dog micro-chipped and you also must register your dog with a Government-approved database such as Fido.ie.
Under new legislation dog owners must also have a certificate from the database provider to prove that the dog is properly micro-chipped and registered.
March is also National Micro-Chipping month which is aimed to help raise awareness amongst dog owners and breeders about the new legislation.
So, if you haven’t micro-chipped your dog, now is the time to speak to your vet.
Dog owners across the country can avail of free micro-chipping at over 200 participating veterinary practices as part of a Nationwide Micro-chipping Month.
It’s supported by FIDO and Dogs Trust and places available on a ‘first come first served’ basis.
For a nation-wide list of participating vets see here.
Owners of dogs already chipped are invited to check that their details are correctly registered on an approved database free of charge at Chipcheck.
Furthermore under the new legislation, it is now illegal to buy or take ownership of a pup that is not micro-chipped and registered on an approved database and that does not have a certificate from the database to prove this.
Under legislation it is now compulsory for all puppies to be micro-chipped and registered with a Government approved database before the age of 12 weeks – or before they are moved from their birth home.
