Laois dog owners to get their paws on free microchipping
The free initiative has been announced by Laois County Council
People in Laois can avail of free microchipping for their dogs this month.
Laois County Council, in conjunction with Midland Animal Care, announced that a free dog microchipping week will take place at the Laois Dog Shelter from Monday, November 23 to Friday, November 27.
Microchipping has been a legal requirement for all dogs in Ireland since April 2016. All dogs must be microchipped, registered on an approved database, and accompanied by an official certificate of registration.
It is also a requirement for owners’ details to be up to date on the microchip database.
Local dog owners are invited to bring their dogs to the Laois Dog Shelter in Ballacolla to avail of the free service. People can avail of the service on these dates during the shelter’s opening hours.
The opening hours are 10am to 12.30pm on Monday, 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4.30pm from Tuesday to Friday.
Owners have been advised that any dogs visiting the shelter must be on a lead and restricted breeds must be muzzled on leads not exceeding 2 metres.
Dog owners must bring a valid dog licence for their dog and ensure that each dog has an ID tag attached to their collar with the name, address and contact details of the owner.
They must also show photo ID and proof of address to avail of the free microchip and registration of dogs.
Commenting on the initiative, Laois dog warden Tristan Blundell said: “Microchips assist greatly in the reuniting of lost dogs with their owners and provides your dog with a permanent form of identification.
“If a stray dog is found with a microchip, the dog warden, vet clinics or animal welfare groups will look up the microchip number on an approved database and will contact the owner and reunite them with their dog.”
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