One of the key recommendations from the recent Independent Inquiry into dog breeding has hit the headlines the suggestion that all puppies should be implanted with a microchip, ensuring permanent identification.

Microchipping puppies, like these Saint Bernards, makes sense (Photo: Reuters)

In fact, to many of those working in the animal world, including vets and animal charities, universal microchipping is seen as an answer to many of the problems that have blighted the sector.

Compulsory microchipping is a tried and tested idea that has already been in place in other parts of the world, where it has proved its worth. In New South Wales and Victoria, in Australia, all pet dogs and cats have had to be microchipped for the last few years. The microchip is linked to a licence for the animal, with reduced licence fees for animals that are neutered, and for pets belonging to the disadvantaged and elderly.

The system has resulted in several advantages. Firstly, an owner is legally bound to the animal, in the same way as an owner is linked to a car in the UK. The owner can then be held responsible for the actions of the pet if the animal is allowed to wander, or if it causes damage to property or person.

Secondly, if an animal gets lost, a simple scan with a microchip reader is enough to identify the animal’s home. The number of stray animals in dog pounds has plummeted where such schemes have been introduced, producing significant savings for local authority dog control budgets.

 Thirdly, the risk of dog theft is dramatically reduced. Microchips cannot be removed. It’s virtually impossible to sell on a dog that carries the indelible details of its owner.

Fourthly, and finally, microchipping would force breeders of unhealthy puppies to be held accountable for their actions.  Many health problems do not become visible until a dog is an adult, by which time the original breeder may be impossible to locate under current systems. A microchip would ensure that the dog’s ownership could be tracked from the cradle to the grave (or should that be from “the nest to the urn”).  Unhealthy strains of dog could be tracked back to their original breeders, and indeed the dog’s parents, grandparents and great-grandparents could be identified. There would be tremendous potential for mapping out the genetic basis of inherited disease.

Could compulsory microchipping of all dogs work in the UK? Well, it has worked in other jurisdictions, so why not?  Pete Wedderburns comments here.