A Chesterfield resident has been ordered to pay more than £500 following repeated failures to comply with microchipping regulations for her dog.
The case was brought by Chesterfield Borough Council under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023, after the dog was reported as a stray on two separate occasions, and the dog owner, of Central Walk in Chesterfield, failed to update its microchip details.
The dog was first reported as stray on 21 October 2023 and taken to the council’s kennels. Although the dog was reclaimed six days later, the required kennelling fee was not paid, and a notice was issued instructing the owner to update the microchip information.
Despite assurances that the microchip would be updated, the dog was again reported as a stray on 7 August 2024, and the microchip remained unchanged. The dog was once again held in kennels, and the required kennelling fee was not paid.
A second notice to update the chip was served to on the owner on 21 August 2024 but checks in January 2025 and March 2025 confirmed no updates had been made, despite it being a legal requirement for dog and cat owners to have their pets microchipped with up-to-date details of its owner.
The council subsequently applied for a Single Justice Procedure, in which the magistrate ruled in favour of enforcement and ordered the owner, to pay a fine of £200, £88 in victim surcharges and £250 in costs.
Councillor Steve Lismore, Chesterfield Borough Council’s cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “Ensuring your pets microchip is up to date is really important – it can help reunite owners with their lost pets, but also reduces the number of strays on our streets and takes the pressure off charities.”
“I’m grateful to for the work that our environmental enforcement team have undertaken and I hope that this will act as a reminder to pet owners to check their record is up to date and also be a warning to others that action will be taken if they fail to comply with the legislation.”
