PETITIONOpenPetition · petition.parliament.uk
Introduce a dog traceability system to run alongside Livestock Services
We call on the UK Government to introduce a mandatory DEFRA-run National Dog Register, alongside the Livestock Information Service; to record every dog from birth & track all changes of owner, sale, rehoming, import, export & death, replacing the current fragmented microchip system.
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
99
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 99/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 99/100,000
Background
Microchips do not prove ownership, which we think makes theft & abuse easy. An estimated 36,965 dogs were handled as strays in 2023-24.
A DEFRA register would create birth-to-death records to:
Help police & wardens trace a dog’s life quicker and more easily.
Reduce £25m/year in police kennel costs (2024/25 estimate).
Establish legal ownership, reduce abuse and abandonment.
Close loopholes for illegal breeding and exports.