06/15/10 Mandatory Microchipping of All Dogs
- The Rule book on marking of dogs is published
After years of campaigns Animal Friends informs that the dog microchipping is mandatory for all dogs and invites their guardians to bring their dogs as soon as possible to their veterinarians in order to microchip them.
The Rule book on marking of dogs was published in the "Official Gazette" (NN 72/2010) and shall come into force on June 19, 2010. It regulates compulsory microchipping so as at latest until June 13, 2011 all dogs are microchipped.
Animal Friends started this campaign in order to reduce the number of abandoned dogs and to help in returning the lost dogs to their guardians. Seventy-three towns joined this campaign, giving their public support to the regulation about the obligatory microchipping of all dogs.
Microchipping is almost painful procedure that puts the sterile gass capsule containing a unique number under the animal skin. Data from the microchip can be read by a reader which any veterinary service must have. Data on adult guardian and an animal are entered in a database unique to the entire territory of the Republic of Croatia.
Microchipping is done only once, and in case of change of a guardian, data in the database are being changed while data on the previous guardians also remain. The price for microchipping is between 50 and 80 kuna and services can be obtained at any veterinary clinic.
Coming into force of this regulations is of great importance for animal protection and the well-being of the whole community, and it will result with responsible getting and care of animals, their easier tracking in case they get lost and punishing those who abandon them. The penalty for abandoning of animal according to the Animal Protection Act is 15,000 kuna.
Animal Friends thanks to many citizens who by signing a petition helped this decision making and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Rural Development on their collaboration and for accepting Animal Friends' proposal. All citizens are invited to perform an obligation by law microchipping of all dogs.
