AN APPEAL to pet owners to microchip their animals was made yesterday by the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA).
The animal welfare society will open its doors from 10am until 5pm tomorrow to owners who want to have an electronic chip implanted in their pet.
In addition to the implant, dogs and cats will also be provided with an identification disk to wear on their collars while pet and owner details will be registered on the society’s PetTrace database.
Owners who bring their pets to the DSPCA will be charged €12 for the microchip. Alternatively, microchipping is available free to those who sign up as monthly contributors to the society.
The microchip is injected with a small, sharp needle through the animal’s shoulder blades.
The event is an attempt to promote more responsibility and accountability among pet owners, according to DSPCA communications officer Orla Aungier.
She said more than 580 lost and abandoned animals had been handed in to the society this year. Many of these animals cannot be returned to their owners as without collars there is no way to identify them.
Microchipping was the only way to provide for the “permanent welfare” of the animal, Ms Aungier said. The organisation had been lobbying the Department of the Environment for 10 years to introduce compulsory microchipping of dogs as part of the licensing system.
More than 900 animals were reported missing to the DSPCA last year. However, Ms Aungier said this number could reach into thousands across the country.
While some pets stray or become lost, a number are stolen and sold on to buyers. “Small, pedigree dogs are the most vulnerable,” Ms Aungier said, adding that some pedigree dogs could be sold for up to €1,000.