It has been three months since 23rd December 2022 since our beloved cat Fluffy passed away. She had been collected by the council on the same day and destroyed within one day, never informing us. So we never got a chance to say Good Bye to her. We found out by neighbours' CCTV footage. We went to the freezers and amenities and emailed many personnel in the council, but after a week, we found out our Fluffy was discarded with other animals with no dignity and respect. That left a big scar on us. Fluffy was microchipped. We are bringing this petition up on behalf of every pet owner. 

• Pet Owners are unaware that their Local Authority does not have policies & procedures or equipment in place for scanning, reporting and contacting owners in the unfortunate event that their deceased pet is found and collected by Street Cleansing Services. This means that they can destroy and discard any domestic pet without scanning for a registered microchip/ or making any attempt to contact the pet owner.
• Compulsory scanning of microchips has become an increasingly prominent issue within the animal welfare sector. We have microchipped our pets with the expectation to be reunited if the worst happens and they are lost or stolen. If just one organisation is not committed to scanning and checking microchip registration, the whole system fails and is not fit for purpose. A number of high-profile public petitions relating to compulsory scanning have received extensive support and demonstrate clear public interest in this issue. 
• The majority of Local Authorities do not need enforcement by legislation to have policies and procedures in place for scanning pets for microchips. However, MPs have identified that there is a subset of authorities who proceed with the ‘outrageous’ practice of destroying pets/or placing them in the landfill without any attempt to make contact with owners.
• Residents are furious that they belong to boroughs that fall within this category, with pets being destroyed within 24 hours and no attempt to scan or reunite with their family, and it is for this very reason that MPs have presented a ‘Kept Animals and Welfare’ Bill before the House of Commons to ensure enforcement action is taken.
• Since April 2016, it became law that all dogs must be microchipped . If you sell, re-home your dog, or move address, it is an offence not to have the details on the microchip database updated. Failure to comply could result in a fine of up to £500.
• In May 2021, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) announced that microchipping would be compulsory for cats in the United Kingdom, as part of an Action Plan for Animal Welfare and now it is in effect. Cat owners have until June 2024 to microchip their cats. Failure to comply would result in a fine of up to £500 for dogs.
• In the UK, we have campaigned and come a long way working towards all relevant authorities, ports, vets and registered rehoming centres having linked microchip scanners that INSTANTLY alert the user that the animal scanned has been reported missing.   This saves valuable man-hours searching databases and cuts kennelling/ rescue costs. It prevents the microchip database loopholes from resulting in lost pets remaining lost.
• In memory of all those animals that to their owners ‘remain LOST’ and in response to the unimaginable grief of pet owners and families who seek closure and reunion with their beloved pets;    PLEASE SIGN and share this petition to ensure that in alignment with pet microchipping laws; all councils use microchipping scanning equipment and ensure that any deceased pet/ domestic animal that is located and reported to amenities, has the right to be scanned, returned and reunited with their family and that the whole process is treated with the due diligence, respect and dignity it deserves.

Thank you for your support. Let’s make a difference together. 

For more background information or sources, please visit the following websites.

1. Gov.uk Microchipping guidance: https://www.gov.uk/get-your-dog-microchipped
2. Microchipping guidance for cats: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/treasured-pets-now-safer-as-microchipping-for-cats-becomes-compulsory
3. You Tube Link: https://youtu.be/GtwR_8vIxw0                                        Recorded address to House of Commons by MP James Duly 
4. Parliamentary Petition: Kept Animals Bill:  5th December 2022 
5. Petition: Find the time to take the Kept Animals Bill through Parliament and make it law https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/619442