Pets chip in for big day

MORE than 350 animals were microchipped on Sunday as part of Greater Dandenong Council’s annual Microchipping Day.
The day was also timely given new regulations which come into play next month.
As of 1 May, all cats or dogs registered with a council for the first time must be microchipped prior to registration.
Yesterday’s event attracted residents who took advantage of discounted microchipping and registration fees.
Greater Dandenong regulatory services manager Peter Shelton praised the hundreds of residents who showed responsible pet ownership by taking part in the day and said the chance of residents suffering the loss of a pet could be significantly decreased with registration and proper identification.
“Because of an increase in microchipping and the wearing of registration tags, over 70 per cent of dogs are now reunited with their owners,” he said.
“Unfortunately the number of cats returned to owners is still very low because owners are not registering and microchipping cats at the same rate as dogs.”