L'Derry Dogs Offered Free Microchipping

Dog owners in the city of L'Derry are being encouraged to take advantage of a free dog micro-chipping service being offered by the Dogs Trust.

The Trust will be offering the service across a range of locations this week.

The Mayor, Cllr Kevin Campbell said it was a great opportunity for dog owners to avail of the free service.

"Microchipping is a very effective and secure way of permanently identifying your dog," he said.

"Once microchipped, the unique identification number is registered to the animal and the owner’s details are placed on a national data base. The microchip is simply injected under the dog’s skin between its shoulder blades. No anesthetic is required and the procedure should not cause any more discomfort than a standard vaccination. The microchip, which is the size of a grain of rice, works through radio wave frequency and will last up to 20 years. If the dog is picked up by the police or a dog warden, they 'scan' the dog to see if it has been chipped and if they find a chip, they can find his owner by checking the ID number against the database."

Michael Duddy, dog warden with Derry City Council added: "Whilst every dog owner must ensure that their dog is wearing a collar and licence tag it should be noted that since April 2012 it is no longer possible to licence a dog without including a valid microchip number for your dog. This simple, safe modern identification method is permanent and can`t be removed, so even if your dog loses its collar or someone steals your dog we can still trace it by its microchip."

(IT/CD)