Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, met with the Kennel Club and the Microchipping Alliance on Thursday 7th June 2012 to promote the benefits of compulsory microchipping and the importance of keeping database details updated as part of National Microchipping Month 2012, which takes place throughout June.

National Microchipping Month aims to encourage responsible pet ownership through the promotion of microchipping as an inexpensive, safe and painless method of permanent pet identification. The event is run by Petlog, which is owned and managed by the Kennel Club, and has over 6.2 million pets registered, with 70,000 new pets added to the database each month.

Dave Thompson MSP met with the Kennel Club and Microchipping Alliance representatives to promote the campaign and discuss the importance of microchipping. Mr Thompson commented: “A large part of being a responsible pet owner is to ensure that your pets are microchipped, registered to a database and that all details are up to date. As a nation of animal lovers, we all want a quick and successful reunification should our pets go missing, which fundamentally relies on these three components.

“Our counterparts in Northern Ireland have taken the first steps by introducing compulsory microchipping, which will significantly help reunite stray and stolen dogs with their owners whilst helping save local authorities tremendous financial resources. I firmly support proposals for the implementation of compulsory microchipping in Scotland and throughout the rest of the UK for the benefit of all.

Caroline Kisko, the Kennel Club’s Communication Director, said: ‘National Microchipping Month aims to highlight to the public the benefits of microchipping. The importance of microchipping your pet as well as registering and updating your details are crucial in the reunification process and should form a key part of any legislative proposal.

“We are grateful to Dave Thompson MSP for helping to highlight the importance of microchipping and the need to update your details. We are also pleased that the Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead has agreed to meet with the Kennel Club and discuss the issues of compulsory microchipping for Scotland. This method of permanent identification is an essential element in being a responsible pet owner.

The Kennel Club is working as part of the Microchipping Alliance to campaign for microchipping to be made compulsory for all dogs throughout the UK. The group is collectively promoting the benefits of microchipping and is urging all the UK governments to recognise the importance of this issue.

Petlog will be running events throughout June to promote National Microchipping Month - to find out more information or to get involved, visit www.nationalmicrochippingmonth.org.uk