Just four dog owners in Kent have been punished by local councils in the last eight years for not having their pet microchipped.

In a bid to return missing animals home more quickly - and to track down those responsible for dogs which attack people - new rules were introduced in 2016 making it a legal requirement for owners to have their dogs chipped and to ensure contact details on databases remain up to date.

Similar rules for cats were brought in earlier this month - with both laws carrying the threat of prosecution and a hefty fine for those caught ignoring the rules.

Yet, despite the large number of dogs picked up as lost or suspected strays by dog wardens - many without a chip or outdated details - only a small handful of people in the county have ultimately been prosecuted by local councils, which oversee stray dog services, for not complying.

It’s a sign, say the scheme’s supporters, not of a law that’s too difficult to police but one that serves as a good deterrent with the ultimate aim of getting pets back where they belong.

Missing pets

There are more than 10 million pet dogs in the UK, according to charity PDSA.

The latest stray dog survey by charity Dogs Trust calculates that more than 28,000 animals were handled by local authorities between April 2021 and March 2022 - an average of 78 dogs per local council in England - with the majority picked-up as suspected strays.

However, says the report, among the councils that provided information about the microchip status of those dogs, only half the animals were chipped before finding themselves in the hands of officials.

Joanna Stuckey, Rehoming Centre Manager at Dogs Trust Canterbury, said: “When a dog goes missing it is incredibly stressful for their owners and families.

“However, ensuring their microchip details are kept up to date gives owners the best opportunity of being reunited with their canine friend should the worst happen and they go missing.

“It’s simple to update the details for your dog’s microchip; you can do it online, by telephone or by post, depending on which database your chip is registered to.

“This quick check will give you the best possible chance of being reunited with your dog if the worst does happen.”

Where dogs are found not to have a functioning chip, by law owners can be written to or served with a notice as a first warning by either the council or police.

This asks the dog to be chipped - or registered correctly - usually within a 21-day time frame and should they not comply they may risk prosecution and a fine of up to £500 if caught.

Kent Police was approached for its enforcement figures in relation to dogs without a microchip but the force was unable to provide them.

Council enforcement

Dover council is the only local authority in Kent to have pressed ahead with tougher enforcement - prosecuting four people for not complying with a dog chipping notice since the law came into effect.

Dover District Council says it issued 77 notices between April 2016 and May this year when it found dogs without a chip that requested owners book their dogs in for the procedure.

Neighbouring Thanet says it issued nine notices under the Animal Welfare Act, requiring dogs to be microchipped within 21 days. But in all instances owners complied, says the council, and no further action was taken.

Similarly Medway Council too issued a number of notices - but no case led to prosecution.

A spokesman added: “Fines related to the microchipping of dogs are determined by prosecution. Since April 2022, we have served 57 notices to owners under the Microchipping of Dogs Regulations 2015, but none of these have led to prosecution.”

While the number of council prosecutions may appear low for a law that has been in place for almost a decade, Natasha McPhee from Medway-based organisation Animals Lost and Found says the current approach by local authorities works.

When a dog is found not chipped, she explains, considerable effort will go into getting owners to cooperate, with prosecution being the ‘last stop’ in a long chain of events.

On occasions, says Natasha, officials will make repeated contact with an owner over a number of weeks until they’re satisfied a pet has been chipped.

“It’s more a deterrent than anything else” she explained. “The dog wardens here are absolutely fantastic. They try so hard and every dog is cared for.

“There are just enough steps before the fine that encourages people.”

Gravesham council says it has not needed to pursue a prosecution since 2016 because wherever the authority has requested someone get their dog chipped, ultimately they have done so.

While Sevenoaks council is among those taking responsibility for chipping dogs which find their way into its care unchipped, before taking them home.

A council spokesman said: “While we have not issued any fines, when we become aware of a dog without a microchip, we will write to owners requiring them to chip their dog within 28 days.

“If an unchipped dog arrives at our kennels, it is chipped before it’s returned to the owner.”

To try and get people to abide by the law in Folkestone and Hythe, the council says it uses ‘successful’ amnesty days offering free chipping to those who know their pets don’t carry the required ID tag.

While no fines or prosecutions have been issued since 2016 the council’s last amnesty event in early June saw nearly 50 dog and cat owners take up the offer.

Canterbury City Council, which contracts its dog warden services to a private firm, also prefers to work with pet owners.

Spokesman Leo Whitlock said: "Everyone should microchip their dog and we encourage them to keep their details up to date with the database company their dog is registered with.

"We have not issued any fines since 2016 and our first port of call would always be to try and encourage and educate pet owners in the first instance."

Since the law came into force eight years ago Animals Lost and Found estimates among every 10 dogs in Kent- eight will likely now be chipped, one may have details out of date and one will be without the chip altogether.

Natasha said: “Before the law, it probably would have been the other way around. It is a very good deterrent.

“The work is most certainly going on in the background. The dog wardens work so hard. They will say ‘please let us chip them’. That will be why there are not many fines at all.

“The ultimate aim is to get these animals back where they belong.”