Ministers demand all dogs are microchipped
All dogs will have to be compulsorily microchipped under new regulations being announced today.
Charities are expected to bear the £35 cost of implanting a small microchip in each dog as part of an effort to crack down on Britain's dangerous dogs problem.
The last ten years has seen the number of patients treated in hospital for dog injuries double in the last decade, prompting action from the government.
Dangerous dogs are increasingly being used as status symbols by disaffected youths, who critics fear will avoid getting their dogs registered.
Officials are arguing the introduction of microchipping will help increase the number of lost pets which are reunited with their owners.
Over 30% of successful reunions are the result of dogs which have already been microchipped, according to the Dogs Trust.
"We've been waiting for this for a number of years. It will make a difference," Clarissa Baldwin told ITV.
"On dangerous dogs, it will instil a greater sense of responsibility on the owners and will allow us to undertake prosecutions on the owners of dogs who are out of control."
The Communication Workers Union is expected to welcome the measure, after launching its own Bite Back campaign in 2008 calling for new UK-wide laws helping prevent dog attacks on postal workers.
"Microchipping can play an important role in identifying both dogs and owners, hopefully acting as a deterrent against irresponsible and dangerous behaviour but also providing peace of mind for responsible owners," it argued.
