by Developer | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, News
Some people may not be aware that it’s a legal requirement in England, Scotland and Wales for a dog to be microchipped by the age of 8 weeks.This became compulsory in April 2016.
It’s a criminal offence to transfer a dog that is not microchipped and so all breeders are required to have a puppy chipped and registered in their name prior to sale. The fines for not complying can be up to £500.
The microchip needs to be registered on a database which is compliant with set standards, and it must be registered in the name of the keeper (the person who the dog normally lives with). However, just because a dog’s microchip is registered in a particular person’s name on the database, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to be regarded in law as the owner.
A microchip is evidence of ownership, but not absolute proof of ownership.
Microchipping is a quick and simple procedure, which takes seconds to implant. The chip is inserted under the pet’s skin, usually around the scruff of the neck, and once the chip is implanted it should last for your pet’s lifetime. The chip is about the size of a grain of rice and contains a unique code that matches up to your pet’s details.
The microchip can be checked by an authorised person, usually a vet, dog warden or a rehoming charity, which is done by using a handheld scanner. The scanner reads the unique number and the authorised person then checks this with the database.
In the UK, there are around 15 different databases that can hold your dog’s details, so it’s useful to know which one your pet is registered with.
It’s very important to make sure your details are always up to date, dogs can get lost or stolen and it’s a permanent identification to help get your dog back to you.
If you sell or pass your dog onto someone else, the microchip details must be changed. Remember, it’s a criminal offence not to do this.
In accordance with the Control of Dogs Order 1992, although all dogs must now be microchipped, they will also still need to wear a collar and tag in a public place, which must have the owner’s full address. A phone number is advisable, as it will enable somebody to contact you straight away if your dog is lost and found by an authority or member of the public, but it’s not an absolute requirement for it to be on the tag.
As of the 10 June 2024, all owned cats in England must also be microchipped by the age of 20 weeks. At present, it’s not compulsory in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
Anne McDonald
PDWRA Trustee & Local Authority Dog Warden
by Developer | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, Rescue Stories
Bella first came to me as a foster in July 2024, just after she turned 9 years old. She had been surrendered due to a child allergy.
She was a little timid at first, and unsure of her new surroundings and what she was and wasn’t allowed to do. For example, she wouldn’t go upstairs or jump onto the sofa without permission. She got on very well with my older pug-cross Peppa (then 15 years old) straight away, and soon felt more at home.
After about a month or so, Area Coordinator Dee contacted me to ask if I would consider adopting Bella, as there aren’t always as many adoption requests for older dogs. I knew that Bella wasn’t going anywhere! I had fallen for her and didn’t want her to be adopted by anyone else, so of course I said yes!
I must say, I’ve never come across a more well-behaved dog than Bella. In the first few months, I kept whispering to her “you can be a bit naughty you know”. As the months passed, she settled in well and started to play more with toys and jump up next to me on the sofa without being encouraged. I knew that she was slowly relaxing into her new home.
Since then, she has been on holiday with me to Glastonbury, Newmarket and Ipswich, and numerous times to Yorkshire to stay with my friends up there. She’s a great traveller and doesn’t seem to get stressed when I take her to different places with me. She’s a great companion and I love her so much now, I feel so blessed to have her in my life!
by Developer | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, Rescue Stories
As a lifelong lover of the breed, I always knew I wanted pugs in my life. Their loving nature, their fun curly tails and their big bright eyes, not to mention their big personalities…
My first pug was a black boy renamed Taz from Battersea. When I flew the nest and moved out, my mum missed Taz (and me) so much that she decided it was time she started looking for a little pug of her own. After a lot of research on breed specific rescues, we landed on the PDWRA.
My mum was lucky enough to be matched with Luna, who settled in almost instantly and brought mum and the family so much joy! They are both enjoying growing old gracefully together! The whole process was easy, with brilliant communication, compassion for the foster family Luna came from and amazing aftercare from the PDWRA team.
I did foster briefly through the PDWRA in 2021, with a handsome little pug named Eddie. He was amazing on his own, however, after 12 weeks in my care it became apparent that the pairing between him and my pug Taz wasn’t compatible and I had to make the difficult decision for him to go back to the PDWRA. During this time, I had so much support and always had someone in the charity to speak to. I heard that he had been adopted by a family in London as the only dog in the home, and was very much loved, which made me very happy to hear. The way the PDWRA handled the case was professional and compassionate, with both pugs wellbeing at the centre of it all.
After I lost Taz in the summer of 2024 to age related complications, I was so lost. I felt like a part of me had gone and I didn’t have a purpose anymore. I knew I wanted another pug, but I didn’t know when I would be ready. Four months later in November, I received a call whilst I was at work from one of the Volunteer Area Coordinators, who asked if I was still interested in fostering and advised they had a little black boy in need of a home. I was nervous because of my experience with Eddie and was unsure if it was the right time for me, however, I asked for the details to be sent across for me to take a look at. Deep down, I had butterflies and I was excited! I’m a big believer in things happening for a reason, so I called my mum to let her know I had been contacted and she was just as excited as I was. I discussed the option of Foster to adopt due to my last attempt being unsuccessful with Eddie, which was agreed to.
I’ve always rescued, there are so many dogs who are in need of homes, and as much as I love the idea of a puppy, being able to give love to a dog in need will always be my first choice.
A date was set for volunteers to pick up Nacho and deliver him to my mum’s, where he could meet me and mum’s PDWRA rescue Luna. I was so excited to meet him but also knew I had to keep him busy to help him settle in, so as soon as he arrived we went for a walk around my mum’s garden. We then went for a walk along the river to our nearest pet store, where he got lots of attention. We picked up some treats and headed back, and he loved rolling in the grass (which he still loves to do now) and also to run!
There was an instant connection between us and the first week he came to the office with me to meet my work colleagues. Everyone couldn’t believe he had only been with me less than a week as he was off the lead and following me around like we had been together forever. He loves meeting new people and any opportunity I have to take him with me, I do! We have a local pug walking group where once a month we all meet up for a walk and he loves meeting his pug pals at the park for a run around! In January of this year. I officially adopted Nacho and it was the best decision I have made! He gives me a reason to get up in the morning, and we love to go on adventures together. We’ve been to the Lake District this year also, which he loved! We’ve just celebrated our first ‘gotcha’ day anniversary and will be celebrating Christmas with the family.
To anyone who is considering fostering/adopting, I would really recommend speaking to PDWRA as I can’t recommend them highly enough. Other charities we explored were nowhere near as experienced and professional as PDWRA and I still have contacts I can go to for support a year later with any questions I may have. Always consider rescuing a pug in need of love first. as they are capable of giving you 100 times more love back!
Wishing all the team at PDWRA a very happy new year! Thank you for all that you do and thank you for helping me and my mum find our perfect pug partners!
by Developer | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, Rescue Stories, Uncategorized
Pumpkin first came to us as a foster in June of 2021. She was 3 years old and couldn’t walk very far due to breathing and BOAS problems, just 100metres would have her laid on the floor and struggling for a long time. Thanks to PDWRA, she quickly had BOAS surgery, which I called her nose job! There are never any guarantees that this kind of surgery will be successful in solving a pug’s breathing problems but we’re very happy to say that it’s been completely life changing for her.
We officially adopted Pumpkin in August of 2021and the past (almost) 5 years have really flown by. It’s hard to believe she’s 8 years old now. She has a big older Springer Spaniel brother, who she bosses around, and despite having to undergo another big operation for bladder stones shortly after adoption, she recovered from everything and has been enjoying lots of adventures over the years. She’s been on caravan holidays, beach and woodland walks and even hiking in the dales. It’s also hard to believe she can go from not being able to walk 100mtrs to comfortably walking 3 miles! As age creeps in she has a little rest in a pushchair, like the Princess she is.
Pumpkin makes everyone she meets smile and is such a funny character, who loves a body twerk. We can’t thank PDWRA enough for bringing her into our hearts and family!
by Developer | 10 Feb, 2026 | Blog, Rescue Stories
We came across the PDWRA whilst looking for some Pug friends for our boys Milo and Vinnie who had recently lost their sister.
We’d seen that the PDWRA were looking for local transport volunteers and fosterers, so we put our application forward and our local Volunteer Area Controller, Dee, contacted us almost immediately. We were asked to foster a bonded Mum and Daughter pair, and we were so happy to help out. We picked them up 2 days later.
10-Year-old Ava and Violet, who is 8, melted our hearts almost immediately. The moment I laid eyes on them both I knew then that they had already found their forever home with us, and that we were ultimately going to be ‘failed fosterers’. Ava and Violet slipped straight into our busy Pug family and our duo became a family of 4. They’ve been loving their park walks, Sunday dinners, cheeky afternoons in the local pub, which of course comes with lots of attention and treats, nights cosied up on the sofa and of course, lots of holidays.
Ava and Violet came into our lives at one of the saddest times and brought a whole new lease of life to our family unit. We wouldn’t be without them!
