The Guernsey Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) is encouraging dog owners to get microchips fitted.
This news comes after the announcement of compulsory micro-chipping by 2016. Pet owners have been warned that they will need to comply with these laws to reduce the pressure that taxpayers and welfare charities face. With over 100,000 dogs being abandoned every year in the UK, it is hoped that the compulsory dog microchipping announcement will save charities like the GSPCA a lot of time and money.
It is understood that dogs can benefit greatly from having a microchip implant because, should a dog go missing, he or she can be identified with ease, enabling the owner to be reunited with the pooch more quickly. Despite this, not every dog is fitted with a microchip and, because of this, attacks, thefts and dog fighting problems are escalating.
The GSPCA manages more than 200 stray dog cases each year and an estimated 45% of these dogs are fitted with a microchip. Approximately 60% of the eight million pet dogs in the UK are already microchipped but, thanks to pressure from groups like the GSPCA, this figure will soon reach close to 100%. With the annual cost of managing stray and dumped dogs exceeding the £50m mark, measures such as this can only help to decrease the amount of money spent, while also ensuring that fewer dogs and their owners suffer the upsetting experience of being separated for long periods of time.
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