Rising number of strays in housing estates have led council officials back the government’s plan for compulsory micro-chipping on all dogs in England from 2016.
Welcoming the initiative, a spokesperson for the Royal Borough said there were “frequent complaints” about “dog nuisance” on the council’s estate:
“We already actively encourage owners to have their dogs micro-chipped to encourage responsible ownership. We welcome the proposal to make micro-chipping compulsory.”
Local resident Leys Geddes and owner to three year old (micro-chipped) Giant Schnauzer Archie voiced support over the forthcoming plan as a “very good idea.” He said: “It is cheap considering all the things you have to do for a dog.”
But Mr Geddes also noted that dogs which belonged to less responsible owners would not get micro-chipped as their owners may find the procedure expensive.
Another local dog owner Patricia Crowley echoed Mr Geddes thoughts on the forthcoming law. Ms Crowley who owns an 11-year-old Mongrel thought the plan a “good thing” as “lost dogs do not get found.” However she doubted if the forthcoming law would be successful in encouraging dog owners micro-chip their pets.
But Ms Crowley said micro-chipping was “charity” compared to going to the vets and dog owners could have the procedure cheaply done at leading veterinary charity PDSA.
Information obtained under the FOI act saw the Royal Borough deal with 52 stray dogs in Kingston over the last six months.
