Not to microchip my dog?

[Littlefluffyclouds81]

So the new law starts this month saying all dogs must be microchipped. I have a dog who is not microchipped and I am hesitant to do so because:

1. he is 12 years old and not the 'buggering off' sort. In fact, in 12 years I have never lost him (he is a complete mummy's boy and just wants to be wherever I am).

2. the microchipping needle is large and likely to be quite an unpleasant experience for him.

3. an article in the independent says that a senior vet advises people with puppies or small dogs (mine is small) to ignore the law as microchipping can cause problems. Not exactly sure what these problems are though. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ten-new-laws-that-come-into-force-in-april-2016-and-how-they-affect-you-a6964881.html

It seems a bit daft to put my dog through it at his age when I can pretty much guarantee I'm not going to lose him. AIBU?

The thing is - what is this law trying to achieve as it seems quite unworkable?
If an unchipped dog without a tag is picked up in the street and its owner is not bothered enough to ensure his/her dog is chipped/tagged they will not 'fess up and pay the £500 and a criminal record to get back the dog they obviously don't care about and how will they be traced without a contact address?

The only benefit I could see is it might make puppy farming a bit more difficult.
I do agree that there should be exemptions for the old and sick animals who are not going to roam the streets at large or get dog-napped.

I have had an email from the local Police and this is what they say-

From 6 April 2016 Microchipping will be compulsory for all dogs in Scotland, Wales and England.

There are benefits of having you puppy/dog Microchipped which will include:
Should the dog become lost (or be stolen), is more likely to be returned to you safe and sound.
All puppies are traceable to their breeder thereby helping reduce the problem of puppy farming and lessening the incidence of infectious disease and inherited defects from which many of these dogs suffer.
Deterrent to dog theft
Allows for rapid return, meaning that local authorities are able to emphasise to the dog owners concerned that straying is not acceptable, the intention being that this education will lesson the likelihood of a dog straying again and reinforce the responsibilities of the owners under the Animal Welfare Act 2006
Easier identification and subsequent arrests of owners culpable of animal cruelty
Enables veterinary surgeons to contact dog owners for emergency procedures
Allows identification of dogs in properties in emergency situations so that dogs can be moved and reunited more quickly

Just had my Spaniel done this afternoon. She didn't even flinch.

Fgs - why do old/sick dogs need an exemption?! surely all responsible dog owners take their dogs to the vet anyway for boosters, treatment for minor ailments etc whether they're young and fit or old and sick? It's such a very minor thing that could have huge benefits. Why would any responsible and caring dog owner hesitate?

Sorry not rtft, but last month I got a call from the local vets (8 miles from my very rural home), to say they had my dogs, and would I mind very much coming to collect them.

Mix up caused by dp being poorly in bed, me on the school run, and a spaniel who can dig/scale/crawl out of fort knox (the garden). A lovely local lady found them running free on our busy A road, and took them to the vets.

Little dog only wears his collar and tag on walks as big dog eats it if left on. Big dog has details written on his collar by a sharpie, but they were faded. They identified my dogs by their microchips.

I understand how lucky I am. And am now very much more vigilant.

It's such a very minor thing that could have huge benefits. Why would any responsible and caring dog owner hesitate?
what are these 'huge benefits' if a dog is old and/or sick ?
these old/sick dogs are being looked after at home by responsible and caring owners who keep them close and tend to their every need. |They are not the dogs that are a potential problem - if you read my previous post the problem dogs are not going to be reunited with their careless owners by this new law as their careless owners CANNOT be identified.

I have a fourteen year old jack Russell. She's daft and would never stray. We got her microchipped because it was free.
Three weeks ago we moved house and my elderly good as gold jack Russell got out. She was there at seven, at twenty past I got a phonecall from the blue cross to say they had her.
We were lucky.

The chip can save your dogs life. Council pounds still euthanise healthy dogs if the owners cannot be found/ no space in local charity shelters/ elderly/ black/ funny ears/ 'not a looker'/ too many staffies... it would be heartbreaking if your little dog was lost and never made it home.
We have 3 harriers and if they get out they get out MILESSSSSSSSS thankfully it hasn't happened since we moved to our new home, microchipped early on despite never being off lead (we use lunge reigns) on walks aside from a sheltered hard to escape from beach. You really can't guarantee that your dog won't be stolen or lost. If you are using a collar and tag instead if the dog doesn't wear his collar at home you are limiting the usefulness of that by about half.

OP, your dog is small, doesn't wear a collar and isn't chipped - are you actually aiming to lose him?

Recently I sent an unidentifiable elderly dog to the council pound via the dog warden. As we're on the border between two councils and she was found in a certain area the dog was taken to kennel X rather than kennel Y, over 20 miles from where they were found.

Had the owner microchipped or put a collar and tag on we could have called and reunited them within minutes. Instead an elderly dog with mobility issues spent a night in a bare outdoor kennel block and cost their owner at least £60 upon collection. If the owner hadn't tracked the dog down to the right kennel then after 7 days they could have rehomed or euthanised her.

I have also very sadly reunited several owners with their deceased pets which were only identifiable by microchip.

Excepting a few very rare and specific circumstances (clotting/bleeding disorder etc.) there is absolutely no reason not to microchip a dog. I wish the law about collar tags was reinforced as well.

A responsible dog owner would always want their dog to be microchipped surely?
As it is the law, why do you not want to abide by it?

I don't have a dog (but if I did I'd want one that refused to give the nail clippers back to the vet) although we have four cats. All our cats are chipped but they don't go far from home.

However, locally there has been a huge story about a cat that fell asleep on top of the owners husbands van. He didn't notice and drove to work, not noticing people frantically trying to flag him down. Someone notified the wife and she called him but by this time he was at work (several miles away) and there was no sign of the cat.

A huge search was started, leaflets put out. We have a great Lost and found pets group on FB in this area and a few of the admins have scanners so loads of people out looking and 10 weeks on still no sign.

Then a lady a few miles away noticed a rather thin cat with a broken tail in her garden and took it to the vets. He was scanned and found to be 'Van Cat'. He's now home, half his body weight but otherwise ok although his tail is a bit wonky! He made the local paper and is a bit of a legend round here now.

If he hadn't been chipped I doubt he'd have ever been returned home. The woman who found him had no idea of his story.

I have not had either if my dogs at the vet in over 13 years. I don't think this makes me irresponsible. If they really needed the vet i would take them of course. I do not feel it is necessary to take them just to be chipped. I also occassionally go a mile or two over the speed limit .

Do they not have their annual booster vaccinations Panda?

I never boostered my dogs when I had them sparkling

They had their initial jabs and that was it.

There is a bit of debate in the dog world as to whether boosters are actually needed or not. Some owners get their dogs titre tested and so far their immunity level has never dropped enough to need a vaccination restarted

Really? I would always get pets vaccinated. Wouldn't risk it.

I have to have my cat vaccinated as the cattery wouldn't take her otherwise.

Plus when they administer the boosters the vet gives them the once over. Listens to heart, checks teeth, feels abdomen etc so it's reassuring in that way.

No. They both had immunisation jags as puppies but have never had any boosters for anything. I have never taken them to the vet since.

Neither have ever had any health issues, but perhaps I have just been very lucky.

I am surprised people don't vaccinate their dogs annually.

Me too Sparkling. I'm also amazed that in 13 years a dog wouldn't need to see a vet for something. My 2 have been for all sorts of things - a cut paw, ear infections, a grass seed in the eye which caused awful problems, a broken tooth etc etc. They also have to be seen by the vet 6 monthly in order to have their flea protection (which also protects them against lungworm) renewed. Our older lab has a lot of fatty lumps and she's had some aspirated to check they aren't dangerous. I would always want to have things checked out rather than trust to luck.

YY I don't have dogs but you can't have the flea/worm treatment for cats unless the vet has seen them regularly.

I've just had my 13 yr cat chipped - she didn't flinch. I had her done because I have problems with another cat coming into the house and her fighting with it so I've bought a new cat flap that will only open for her chip - she still fights with it through the cat flap -but at least it isn't eating her food etc ...and she should feel safe in the house.

But I'm glad I had her done in case she gets lost /run over -even though most of the neighbours know where she lives...and apparently the council workers who pick up dead animals off the road don't routinely scan cats for a chip - don't know if they do dogs or not ...(I signed a petition on the government website about it -saying they should do)
Even so Microchipping has lots of advantages.
We got involved in the local village with a kitten that was hanging around in the road and seemed to be lost. After a few of us discussed it, someone took it to the re-homing centre. It turns out it was one of theirs who had been re-homed nearby, the owners picked it up and were warned but apparently a few weeks later it was run over and killed - I only hope the centre didn't let them have another cat and they don't go and get one from somewhere else - or if they do they make sure it is an indoor cat.
And the age thing - it might be a good thing to have an old pet done anyway, in case it gets confused.
We had an ancient cat, extremely thin and frail -in a really bad way turn up at our back door, it was literally skin and bone. (It was distressing just to look at it, picking up to put it in the carrier was heartbreaking). I took it to the local vets and it was put to sleep because they couldn't find the owner and it was so ill. They said that it was quite common for older pets to get confused and then get lost.
Its poor state could be that it had been missing for a while or just that it needed regular medication and without it, it would deteriorate rapidly - might have only been missing for a matter of a few weeks .

The idea of small dogs being too small to microchip is absolutely ridiculous, as most dogs are only puppies when chipped (and so smaller than an adult dog).

moosemama wow - that's some bad dog related luck you've had there! And yes, my mn name was inspired by The Orb. Incidentally, there are 3 cockerels living very nearby, and anytime one of them crows I automatically get 'what were the skies like when you were young...?' playing in my head. It's starting to drive me mad

I have two chihuahuas, including a very small one. They got the regular sized microchips (you can get extra small ones) when they were puppies. Neither of them were bothered and we haven't had any bother at all. It's like they're not there. I like the peace of mind it gives me.