FREE MICRO CHIPS are being offered to dog owners in Moray in a campaign that is aimed to promote ‘responsible dog ownership’ and advise on the benefits of compulsory chipping.
Behind the move in Moray is Dogs Trust, who are UK’s largest dog welfare charity. They will have representatives on hand at the New Elgin & Ashgrove Public Hall on Friday, November 27 from 1.30pm until 3.30pm.
Attending in support of the charity is Moray’s MP, Angus Robertson, who said: “I’m looking forward to supporting this event which enables responsible dog owners to take advantage of free microchipping before it becomes compulsory in Scotland in 2016.
“Coming from a family which has always had dogs I know how precious they are to their owners, friends and families.”
From April all dogs in Scotland must be microchipped following the introduction of new regulations that followed a public consultation in 2014 that drew 84% public support. The government said that the move was required to reduce the number of abandoned dogs in Scotland.
Mr Robertson said: “Lost and stolen dogs cause great upset to their owners, particularly those with children, and so I hope that my constituents will take advantage of this opportunity to get ahead of the forthcoming changes and make use of a helpful initiative to protect their pets.”
Microchipping is a simple and effective tool which helps to rapidly reunite lost or straying pets with their owners. This in turn reduces the number of healthy dogs unnecessarily put to sleep and saves money for Local Authorities by cutting kennelling costs.
Dogs Trust have eighteen rehoming centres across the UK and one in Ireland, and invest substantial resources in information services and education on responsible dog ownership.