Dog microchipping and neutering
Microchipping is a simple and painless procedure that involves putting a special chip the size of a grain of rice into your dog's neck, so it can be identified if it strays or is stolen.
Get your dog microchipped
You are legally required to make sure your dog:
- Is microchipped
- Is registered to an approved database by the time it is eight weeks old.
If you don't, you could be fined up to £500.
You must also make sure your dog's registration details are up to date. Your dog must be registered to you, not its previous owner.
If you are a Newham resident, we can microchip your dog as part of a special scheme to make sure dog owners are responsible for their pets.
Benefits of microchipping
Your dog should wear a collar with an identity tag, but should be microchipped as well because:
- Identity tags can fall off and they can be taken off
- If your dog goes missing a microchip will help reunite you and your dog much more quickly, even if it has been stolen
- Microchips make your dog less attractive to thieves as they cannot be removed.
Approved databases
Your dog must be microchipped and registered to you by the time it is eight weeks old. If you purchase a puppy from a breeder it must by law be microchipped and registered to the breeder before sale.
Please make sure you use an approved database to register your dog, currently these include:
- Identibase: 01904 487600
- Petidentity (UK): 017447 33229
- Petlog: 01296 336 579
- Pet Protect: 0800 077 8558
- PETtrac: 0800 652 9 977
- Smarttrac: 0844 5420 999
- Animal Tracker: 01279219777
Neutering
It is recommended that you have your dog or cat neutered. Having your pet neutered is a routine operation done by a vet and it also has health benefits. It removes the risk and cost of having unwanted litters and reduces the number of unwanted and stray animals.
There are a number of local veterinary groups who offer low cost neutering to eligible residents such as the PDSA, Blue Cross and Celia Hammond Animal Trust. Please contact them directly for more information.
The London Cat Care and Control (C4) scheme offers free neutering for cat owners who may struggle to pay and for those who have been feeding a stray cat. Find out if you are eligible and details of participating vets on the London Cat Care and Control Consortium website.
