Free pet microchip sessions in Torridge this June

Free pet microchip checks are being carried out in Bideford and Torrington on Thursday, June 26 to mark National Microchip Awareness Month.

Torridge District Council is hosting the ‘Check a Chip’ sessions at Victoria Park (George V Playing Field) in Bideford from 8am to 10am and at Torrington Commons (Old Bowling Green) between 1.30pm and 3.30pm.

People are invited to take their cats or dogs along to the sessions – with cats suitably confined in a pet carrier and dogs under control – to have their chips checked if they are unsure the details on them are correct.

Ensuring cat and dog microchips have the most current information ensures people’s pets stay safe and greatly increase the likelihood of a lost animal being reunited with their owner.

Unfortunately people often move or change their details and do not update the microchip database, meaning the council, vets or rescue charities who take the pet in have no way of reuniting them with their family.

Since June 2024, cats aged over 20 weeks and dogs over eight weeks old are legally required to have an up-to-date microchip with the cat or dog’s details uploaded to an approved UK database. Breeders must also ensure kittens and puppies are microchipped before they leave for their new home.

Councillor Philip Hackett, lead member for public health and community safety, said: “As a nation of animal lovers, microchipping is crucial for both welfare and to provide owners with peace of mind. 

“These events offer an excellent opportunity to ensure your pet’s microchip is up to date. Unfortunately, some pets do go missing from time to time, and thieves sometimes also target dogs.

“Anything that can help and assist people to be reunited with their much-loved pet can only be a good thing.”

The microchips in use in the UK are passive devices no bigger than a grain of rice and once in place can be scanned by a hand-held reader.

The 15-digit identification code can then be checked against the microchip databases to quickly identify the owner. Microchipping is a relatively simple process undertaken by all veterinary surgeons or anyone trained to carry out the procedure and is no more uncomfortable than a standard vaccination injection.