MORE dog owners on the Isle of Wight have been fined for not microchipping their dogs than anywhere else in the country.

A Freedom of Information request by Pets at Home revealed 34 dog owners on the Island had been fined £25 each by the Isle of Wight Council.

The Island topped the table for the number of fines, although owners here had to pay less than other areas and no one had been prosecuted.

Coventry City Council issued the second highest number of fines, with 19 owners having to pay £159 each. There were also 19 prosecutions.

The government introduced compulsory microchipping around two years ago to make tracking down missing dogs easier and to make it simpler for councils to identify owners of dangerous dogs.

Isle of Wight County Press:

Dr Maeve Moorcroft, head of pets at Pets at Home, said: “The results of our Freedom of Information requests are somewhat surprising; and what we found most of note was how much the fines charged by councils varied across the country.

“Microchipping is a simple and cheap procedure that doesn’t hurt a dog in any way and it’s vital that responsible pet owners obey this law. We’d urge dog owners to take steps to get their canine microchipped, firstly for the health and safety of their four-legged friend, and secondly to comply with the law and avoid potentially hefty fines.”