A Penrith man who failed to have his dog microchipped has been ordered to pay a total of £398 by Carlisle Magistrates.
John Bowman, of Lakeland View in Penrith, who did not enter a plea, was found guilty in his absence on 19 March.
The dog, a black terrier, was handed in as a stray in August 2024. When scanned by a Council Officer it was found that the dog did not have a microchip, which is a legal requirement of all dog owners.
Mr Bowman received a notice to get his dog microchipped within 21 days, but chose not to comply, leading to his prosecution for the offence of failing to have his dog microchipped.
A Council spokesperson said, “Dog owners have a responsibility to comply with the law. They must ensure when they acquire a dog, whether it is a puppy from a breeder, or an older rescue dog, that it is microchipped and the details on the microchip are up to date.
“The reason that dog owners are required to do this by law is that when a dog is picked up as a stray, the microchip can quickly identify and reunite it with its owner, often with reduced, or no costs.
“Dogs with an unknown owner usually end up being rehomed via rescue organisations, which are often overrun with dogs needing a home. As a result, dogs can end up waiting longer for a place in a rescue organisation, requiring more public funds.”
The spokesperson added, “There are also people who use dogs for illegal purposes, such as hare coursing, or badger baiting. These people deliberately fail to microchip their dogs so that if they run away, their ownership of the dog and connection to the wildlife crime is harder to prove.”
Microchipping a dog is a cheap and simple process carried out by vets, or other trained implanters. Keeping the contact details on the microchip up to date, when moving house, or changing telephone number is also straightforward and can be done online, or over the phone.
More information about getting your dog or cat microchipped can be found at www.gov.uk/get-your-dog-cat-microchipped