Identification of docked dogs
4.—(1) For the purposes of section 6(10)(b) of the Act a dog must be identified in accordance with this regulation.
(2) The dog must be microchipped by a competent person working in the same practice within which paragraph 2 of a certificate in the form prescribed in the Schedule was completed in respect of that dog.
(3) The dog may only be microchipped after the owner, or a person whom the competent person who is to carry out the microchipping reasonably believes to be representing the owner, has made a signed and dated statement in paragraph 3 of a certificate in the form prescribed in the Schedule.
(4) The competent person who carries out the microchipping must certify that fact in paragraph 4 of a certificate in the form prescribed in the Schedule.
(5) Where a veterinary practice ceases to operate after the docking of a dog’s tail, the owner of the dog may take the dog to a different veterinary practice to have the microchipping procedure carried out and a competent person at that veterinary practice must record the reason in paragraph 4 of the certificate in the form prescribed in the Schedule.
(6) For the purpose of these Regulations—
(a)“competent person” means a veterinary surgeon or person who has received instruction on how to implant a microchip.
(b)“microchipped” means implanted with a valid microchip in accordance with regulation 9 of the Dogs (Licensing and Identification) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012(1).