• Control of Dogs Order 1992 This requires that every dog, while in a public place, wears a collar with the name and address of his owner inscribed on it or on a disc attached to it. If a collar is not worn when out in a public place, the dog may be seized by the police and treated as a stray. Also the owner, and any person in charge of the dog permitting him to be in a public place without a collar, will each be guilty of an offence and may be prosecuted and fined.
If your dog does stray, you should immediately contact your local dog warden (through the Environmental Health Department at your local council) and the local police station. The Environmental Protection Act 1990 allows for your dog to be seized and sold or destroyed if unclaimed after a seven day period.
• Microchipping Sadly, dogs are often destroyed because their owners cannot be found and the dog cannot be found a home. If a dog is microchipped with his own unique identification number registered on a national database, owners can be traced very quickly and the dog can be returned safe and sound.