So what does this mean for you and your pet?

When getting your animal microchipped, a small chip, the size of a grain of rice, is placed under the skin of the animal (between the shoulder blades of a dog) using a sterile needle. The procedure does not require an anaesthetic and is no more painful than a standard vaccination. The microchips will be coded with owners' details, and owners who do not comply could face fines of up to £500. Microchipping identification has helped thousands of lost animals be reunited with their owner, some many years after the pet went missing.

It is not only dogs that can be microchipped, any animal can be and it is a great safety net to help ensure that you will get your animal back if found. The change in the law surrounding microchipping, intended to cut a rise in strays, only applies to dogs and will be effective from 6 April 2016. Every dog owner in England must comply with these new laws.

There is no minimum age at which a dog should be chipped but the law will require all puppies to be chipped by the time they are 8 weeks old. If you have had your dog since before these rules come into effect, you will have until April 6th to get them chipped and registered. Of course, you will only need to do so if your dog isn’t already chipped and registered. If you’ve already had this done then you don’t need to worry or do anything.

An animal only needs to be chipped once; it will remain on the database until the provider is notified of the animals passing. When it comes to chipping, it is important that your details are kept up-to-date so should your pet go missing, when found you can be reunited as swiftly as possible to eliminate distress for both the animal and it's owner. As soon as you move house or change phone numbers, it is important to let your chip provider know. This will incur an admin fee and it will depend on your provider as to how much this will be but with the wrong details, you will never be reunited should the worst happen to your pet.

Compulsory microchipping was introduced in Northern Ireland in April 2012. Similar plans were considered in Wales in 2012, although no formal policy announcement has yet been made.

The procedure should costs around £20-£30 at a private veterinary clinic. Click here for these providers. Alternatively, approach Telford based charity, PDSA or Dogs trust. They may be able to offer you support.