Microchipping Your Dog

To book your dog in to be microchipped please phone your local vet.

A microchip carries a unique number in your dog. This is very similar to a supermarket barcode. A microchip is a transponder, which means it responds to a scanner. It is not a transmitter and has no power source.

The microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is implanted under the skin just forward of the shoulder blades.

Which dogs are required by law to be microchipped?

• All dogs registered for the first time after July 2006. (Working dogs are exempt).
• Dogs classified as dangerous or menacing.
• Dogs impounded as unregistered or dogs impounded more than once.

If my dog is not listed above, can I still get it microchipped?

• Yes, there are many dogs already microchipped by caring owners. Many exotic or expensive animals are also microchipped all over the world.
• If a dog is lost, stolen or has escaped or strayed, it can easily be identified. If your dog is stolen, there is nowhere in New Zealand where it cannot be traced if it is scanned.
• Microchipping does not replace dog registration. You will still have to register your dog every year.
• Dogs exempt from microchipping are farm working dogs (defined as those that are kept solely or principally for herding or driving stock) and Police dogs.

How do I check if my dog is microchipped?

1. Have your dog scanned at the vet

2. Contact Council and we will scan the dog for you