Dog microchips expected to be made compulsory
Millions of dog owners face microchip costs of £20 and £30 under government plans expected to be announced next week
The government hopes compulsory microchipping will make it easier to track and prosecute owners of dangerous dogs. Photograph: Xavi Gomez/Getty Images
Millions of dog owners could be forced to pay for microchips for pet dogsunder plans to be announced next week.
Ministers are expected to call for every newborn puppy to be fitted with a device that stores information about the dog, its breed and contact details for its owner.
The information would then be stored on a central database available to the police and the RSPCA, which the government believes would make it easier to track and prosecute owners of dangerous dogs.
A consultation on whether to introduce compulsory microchipping in Wales is due to be launched later this year.
Charities campaigning for better laws to tackle the problem of dangerous dogs have welcomed the changes, but concerns have been raised that while many responsible owners will shoulder the cost – between £20 and £30 – owners of dangerous dogs could choose not to comply.
Neil Parish MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on animal welfare, said: "If we're not careful we're going to make things more difficult for legitimate dog owners, and not solve the real problem of dangerous dogs. We have got to find the dogs who are being bred illegally by people who mix breeds to create potentially vicious dogs."
He added: "It's not so much the dogs that should be targeted, but the owners who train them to be vicious."
The Association of Chief Police Officers has called for a strengthening of the terms of the Dangerous Dogs Act after a recent pitbull-type dog attack in east London in March left five officers in hospital.
North Wales assistant chief constable Gareth Pritchard has said he wants dog owners to be prosecuted if their animal attacks police and other public sector workers when they step on private property. Currently owners can only be prosecuted if a dog attack occurs on public land.
Plans for compulsory microchipping have been mooted since the Labour government announced similar plans in 2010, but last month Gavin Grant, the new chief executive of the RSPCA, said that previous governments had failed to tackle the issue. "Irresponsible ownership is dire for dogs and the community. Inaction by successive governments has seen it worsen. RSPCA inspectors, our animal rescue centres and veterinary clinics are left to pick up the pieces.
"The coalition has had 18 months to reintroduce dog registration and microchipping that ties owners to their dogs. Previous governments have failed dogs and owners … The time for talking is past. We need effective action now."
Since microchipping was introduced in 1989, more than 4m dogs and cats in the UK have been fitted, with up to 8,000 new registrations every week, the Dogs Trust said.
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