Microchip helps reunite dog, owner

Published on 21 June 2019

Pet owners are encouraged to keep their microchip details up to date after a recent local example of a pet owner being reunited with a dog that had been missing for more than 12 months.

Gannawarra Shire Council officers located a German Shepherd on a property southwest of Kerang earlier this week that had been allegedly taken from a suburban Melbourne business in mid-2018.

Eight dogs were found on the local rural property during a routine inspection to match all animals on-site with microchipping records. However, a search of microchip registry records found that the local resident’s details were not included on the German Shepherd’s records.

“Council staff contacted the owner listed on the database, who explained that the dog went missing 12 months ago from his business premise,” Mayor Lorraine Learmonth said.

“The German Shepherd was later seized by Council staff, with the dog and the original owner reunited. Both the dog and owner are very happy to see each other again.”

There is an investigation underway as to how the dog came to be in possession of those on the local property.

“This highlights the importance of having your pet microchipped,” Mayor Learmonth said.

“Microchip records can be accessed by any local council or veterinary service in Australia, so it pays to keep your pet’s records up to date whenever you move or change your phone number.”