Leeds dog owner is first to be fined for microchip offences

Marius Grecu of Talbot Avenue, Burley, was fined after his dog was found wandering unattended near his home.

A member of the public took the animal to a vet, where it was discovered that the information on its microchip was incorrect. Grecu was given 28 days to update his details on the national database, but failed to do so.

Grecu is now the first person in Leeds to be fined for the offence, after being ordered to pay £91 plus a surcharge of £30 and £741 in costs to the council.

Legislation came into force in 2016 which requires dogs to be microchipped and for the details to be updated when ownership changes.

A puppy can be chipped from the age of eight weeks.

However, Coun Lucinda Yeadon said that council dog wardens were still finding unchipped animals running loose.

“Unfortunately we are still picking up dogs who are not microchipped or whose details are not up to date, which is extending the time and also putting at risk the chance of us being able to reunite them with their owners. We cannot stress enough therefore how much it is in your and your dog’s interest to have them microchipped and to ensure that details on the microchip database are kept up-to-date.

“When in this particular case, our warden came across a dog that was brought to a local vet after being reported as wandering the streets unsupervised, they found that while the dog was microchipped, important details on the microchip database were not correct. We subsequently gave the owner sufficient time to rectify the situation when contact was made, and his failure to do so, meant there was little option but for the council to take steps through the courts to secure a first prosecution in Leeds for this particular offence.

“The process to both microchip your dog and update any microchip information is a very simple one, and there is simply no excuse to ensure it does not take place. Those who fail to do either in the necessary timescales can be assured we will use all the tools at our disposal to take further action.”