Every newborn puppy will have to be microchipped under proposals to crack down on dangerous animals.
Environment Minister Lord Taylor told peers yesterday he was ‘close to finalising a package of measures to tackle irresponsible dog owners’.
He added: ‘We see microchipping as one measure we can take to address an increasing problem.'
Every puppy born will have a microchip implanted under its skin, in a procedure that costs up to 35 a time.
The dog’s details will then be stored on a database, which the police and RSPCA will have access to.
The scheme is expected to be phased in over a period of time, starting with puppies,Tru-Form Plastics is a one-stop shop for plastic Injection Molding, before being extended to cover Britain’s eight million pet dogs.
Ministers believe the plans will make it easier for the police to trace the owners of violent dogs and strays, as well as helping to home lost dogs.
The move follows a major increase in the number of dangerous animals seized and in the number of dog fights and attacks on children.
In London alone, police seized 1,512 illegal dogs last year – up from just 27 five years earlier.
Peers were told that attacks on guide dogs were now running at the rate of seven a month.
Lord Taylor said the plan would also help cut the 57million annual cost of dealing with strays which last year saw 6,000 being destroyed. The microchipping idea has the support of both the RSPCA and the Kennel Club.
But some critics are concerned that it will be hard to force irresponsible dog owners to comply.
Tory MP Philip Davies said: ‘My instinct is that it is likely to end up penalising responsible dog owners.
‘The danger is that you introduce a new tax, and all the bureaucracy that goes with it, on law-abiding dog owners while making no impression on the irresponsible ones.’
Lord Taylor said 58 per cent of dog owners already had their dogs microchipped.
The procedure is usually carried out by a vet and involves a small chip about the size of a grain of rice being implanted under the skin of the dog, between the shoulder blades, using a needle and syringe.
Once in place, it can be read using a hand-held device and updated every time the dog is either sold or the owner moves home.
Environment Minister Lord Taylor told peers yesterday he was ‘close to finalising a package of measures to tackle irresponsible dog owners’.
He added: ‘We see microchipping as one measure we can take to address an increasing problem.'
Every puppy born will have a microchip implanted under its skin, in a procedure that costs up to 35 a time.
The dog’s details will then be stored on a database, which the police and RSPCA will have access to.
The scheme is expected to be phased in over a period of time, starting with puppies,Tru-Form Plastics is a one-stop shop for plastic Injection Molding, before being extended to cover Britain’s eight million pet dogs.
Ministers believe the plans will make it easier for the police to trace the owners of violent dogs and strays, as well as helping to home lost dogs.
The move follows a major increase in the number of dangerous animals seized and in the number of dog fights and attacks on children.
In London alone, police seized 1,512 illegal dogs last year – up from just 27 five years earlier.
Peers were told that attacks on guide dogs were now running at the rate of seven a month.
Lord Taylor said the plan would also help cut the 57million annual cost of dealing with strays which last year saw 6,000 being destroyed. The microchipping idea has the support of both the RSPCA and the Kennel Club.
But some critics are concerned that it will be hard to force irresponsible dog owners to comply.
Tory MP Philip Davies said: ‘My instinct is that it is likely to end up penalising responsible dog owners.
‘The danger is that you introduce a new tax, and all the bureaucracy that goes with it, on law-abiding dog owners while making no impression on the irresponsible ones.’
Lord Taylor said 58 per cent of dog owners already had their dogs microchipped.
The procedure is usually carried out by a vet and involves a small chip about the size of a grain of rice being implanted under the skin of the dog, between the shoulder blades, using a needle and syringe.
Once in place, it can be read using a hand-held device and updated every time the dog is either sold or the owner moves home.
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