Dog owners urged to add location to microchip

Dog owners in East Yorkshire are being urged to add location app details to their pet’s microchip.

It comes after a homeless man was reunited with his dog due to its microchip being registered with What3Words – an app which gives every three square metres of the world a unique three-word phrase.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council said the additional information was particularly useful in tracing owners without a fixed address, or in rural areas.

Owners are also being reminded to update their pet’s details if they move house.

By law, all dogs in the UK must have a registered microchip implanted by the time they are eight-weeks-old.

Residents can ask their vets to implant microchips if they do not already have one, the council said.

Councillor Lyn Healing, cabinet member for communities and public protection, said “It’s vital to keep dogs safe, and to ensure that they can be returned to their owners if lost.”