PET owners in the county have no excuse not to get their dogs microchipped with a series of events planned to make it easier for them.

The Evesham Pets at Home store is introducing a series of microchipping events over the coming months, following the introduction of Government legislation making it compulsory for all dogs in England and Wales to be microchipped by April 2016.

The new law, announced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), details that it will be the responsibility of dog owners to ensure their pet is microchipped and there will be fines for non-compliance. It will also be an owner’s responsibility to keep their contact details up to date on the national microchip database.

Pets at Home Evesham is running a microchipping weekend on Saturday and Sunday – where the service costs just £10, compared to £15 the rest of the year.

The first weekend in February saw more than 8,000 dogs microchipped across Pets at Home’s 340 stores over just two days.

The chip is roughly the size of a grain of rice, fits under the dog’s skin and contains information about its owner, making it easier for both to be reunited should they become separated.