It was an emotional reunion at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home as the clouds cleared from Glastonbury and a microchip proved to be the ray of hope one Staffie owner needed after her dog went missing whilst she was working at the famous festival.
Eight year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Frankie managed to escape from his London home where he was being looked after last weekend whilst his owner Lynne was working at Glastonbury festival. After being missing for the whole weekend, Frankie was found safe and sound by a member of public, just a few hundred metres from his house. He was brought into the world renowned charity this week where he was found to have a microchip and that all important phonecall was made to his owner Lynne.
Lynne Jackson, from Battersea in south-west London has had Frankie since he was a puppy after she rehomed him from a rescue centre in Yorkshire and was so relieved to have had her beloved pet microchipped.
Lynne said: “I was so relieved and overjoyed when I got the phonecall from Battersea and was en-route back from Glastonbury on the coach. I was so excited to come and collect him that I came to the centre straight away and was still wearing my muddy festival dress! I had Frankie microchipped a long time before compulsory microchipping became the law, I think it’s so important to get your dog microchipped and it really is the best chance you have of being reunited.”
Since the new compulsory microchipping law that was brought in at the start of April – stating all dogs in England, Scotland and Wales must be chipped with up to date details - Battersea has seen a 12% increase in dogs coming to them who are microchipped. However, 36% of dogs that arrive at the charity are still not microchipped when they arrive. June is National Microchipping Month and Battersea are recommending the benefits of microchipping your pet, a service that the Home provides for free at its three centres.
Steven Craddock, Battersea’s Intake Manager said: “We were thrilled to see the reunion between Frankie and Lynne and hope this heart-warming example shows people how valuable microchipping can be. Any dog has the risk of running away, and here at Battersea we see hundreds of stray dogs who are unable to be reunited with their distraught owners because they haven’t been microchipped.
Microchipping is now a legal requirement and carries a potential £500 fine for dog owners if they haven’t had their dog microchipped. To help anyone who still needs to microchip their dogs, Battersea offers this service for free at its three centres in Battersea, Old Windsor and Brands Hatch.”
Lost dogs can be reunited with their owners in just a couple of hours after being brought to a rescue centre, vets or local authorities, if they have a microchip. The chip is as small as a grain of rice and can instantly provide the contact details of the owner. Last year, Battersea reunited 542 lost pets with their owners.
If you have lost or found a cat or dog, please visit Battersea’s website www.battersea.org.uk to file a report or call our Lost Dogs & Cats Line as soon as possible on 0207 627 9245 - lines are open between 8am and 6pm seven days a week.