• Almost a quarter British dog owners admitted that their dog strayed after a property move

• 22% admitted their pet left within just 48 hours of being in the new area

• 46% of dog owners admit to not updating their dogs’ microchips each time they moved home

 
As one of life’s more stressful events, research conducted by Dogs Trust has identified that there is more to relocating than simply unpacking boxes and updating the digital TV subscription. With a third of respondents having moved more than once over the last five years, almost half confessed they have not updated their pets’ microchips each time.
 
Almost a quarter surveyed admitted that their much-loved family dog strayed after a property move, with 22% admitting their pooch left within just 48 hours of being in the new area. Despite the nation usually seeing their pet as a family member, over a quarter have put him or her at risk of not being found by waiting an entire month to update vital information on the chip after settling into a new place. This makes it even harder to reunite owners with their animals even once they have been picked up by a Local Authority. Furthermore, 72%* of dog owners are unaware that they only have seven days to recover a missing dog from a Local Authority before he/she is rehomed or potentially put to sleep – proving just how vital it is to update pets’ address details as soon as possible.
 
Trevor Cooper, Dogs Trust Dog Law Specialist, said: “The first week of a house move is such a crucial time for our pets. Our research shows that 26% of dog owners have experienced their canines straying within seven days after a move. Of those found, one in four informed us their dog travelled back to their old home and almost a third to their favourite place, suggesting the dogs craved familiar surroundings. To help avoid stressful situations during what is actually an exciting new chapter, we wish for all dog owners to ensure that updating microchips is brought to the top of their priority list.”
 
The recent research also unearthed further surprises surrounding general microchipping knowledge, with a significant 57% of respondents not realising that microchipping will be compulsory in the UK.
 
Adrian Burder, CEO of Dogs Trust said: “Losing a dog is an extremely upsetting time for both dog and dog owner, incorrect address details can only intensify an already very stressful moment. We encourage all dog owners who have recently moved to update their dogs’ microchip details; you can do it online, by telephone or by post.”
 
Along with microchipping, updating dogs’ microchips with the correct details will also be compulsory in England and Scotland by April 2016 and the Welsh Government is currently consulting on its plans for compulsory microchipping.

To find out more information on microchip databases and how to update a microchip, please visit www.chipmydog.org.uk/update-your-dogs-chip <http://www.chipmydog.org.uk/update-your-dogs-chip> .