Compulsory microchips for all dogs in Scotland

ALL dogs in Scotland would be fitted with a microchip to crack down on irresponsible owners and reduce strays, under plans set out by Labour yesterday.

The move, which is being introduced in England in 2016, would also help hold dangerous dog owners to account.

It has the backing of animal charities such as the Dogs Trust and SSPCA, which say it is the “21st century equivalent” of the dog collar.

But the government insists there is no evidence microchipping will help tackle abandonment or dog fighting and has no plans to introduce it.

Making the announcement during a visit to the Dogs Trust in West Calder yesterday, Labour rural affairs spokeswoman Claire Baker said: “Microchipping has a number of advantages: returning stray dogs, easy identification of those undertaking animal cruelty, ensuring the owners of dangerous dogs are held to account and a deterrent to dog theft.

“With close to 3,000 stray dogs per year in Scotland, micro-chipping can help reunite worried owners while saving local authorities money through reduced kennelling costs.”

The measure has been introduced in Northern Ireland, and a consultation has just finished in Wales, but the Scottish Government has no plans to introduce compulsory microchipping.

Ms Baker warned that Scotland faced being left behind on the issue.

It is already compulsory for dogs to have a collar and tag.

The chip is the size of a grain of rice and is implanted under the dog’s skin, often between the shoulder-blades. It is coded with a unique number that can be read by a scanner. It does not have a GPS-style tracking system.

The Dogs Trust fits microchips free at its bases in West Calder and Glasgow. The organisation has set aside £6 million for free microchipping when it is made compulsory in England in three years.

Laura Vallance of the Dogs Trust said yesterday: “We’ve been pressing the Scottish Government to act on this issue, but there has been a bit of reluctance on their behalf.

“We think it’s a massive welfare issue – it embeds the principle of dog ownership, you can’t just dispose of the dog and lose your link to it.”

She insisted it would improve accountability in cases of dog attacks and bad owners. “It’s part of a package of measures and if a dog is deemed to be dangerous or out of control, then we have that link to it.”

The Scottish Government says microchipping is recommended in a code of practice published in 2010, while the owners of dangerous or out of control dogs can be required to microchip their animals under the Control of Dogs Act 2010.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman added: “To date we have received no evidence that compulsory microchipping would effectively tackle welfare issues such as abandonment, puppy farming or dog fighting.

“In addition, there are significant concerns surrounding the enforcement and cost, both to local authorities and to owners. We are watching developments elsewhere in the UK with interest, and may consider the matter further in future.”