Free events for pet owners on Wednesday 25 September and Wednesday 30 October, 9am-2pm, behind Hackney Town Hall.

Events run in conjunction with Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Cats Protection, Blue Cross and RSPCA central and NE London branch.

Earlier this year, the Government announced that all dogs in England must be microchipped by April 2016. To support and promote this, Hackney Council is working with Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to offer to offer free microchipping and advice about responsible dog ownership. It is required by law for all dogs to wear a tag in a public place, so Battersea staff will be on hand to engrave tags with the owners’ details. 

More than 65% of all dogs arriving at Battersea are not microchipped and the charity believes being able to identify dogs will help to reduce the problem of stray dogs.

A Blue Cross mobile vet clinic will offer general health checks, flea, worm treatments and free microchipping to Hackney residents who are in receipt of benefits. The clinic runs every Wednesday from 10am – 12noon and 1.30pm–3.30pm. Appointments are on a first come first service basis.

Cats Protection will be promoting responsible cat ownership and the importance of neutering to help stop the increasing numbers of unwanted and abandoned cats and kittens. They will give advice on how to care for cats, and promote the Feline Friends fostering network and the C4 free neutering scheme.

Dee McIntosh, Director of Communications at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home said: “Many dog owners don’t realise how helpful a chip, the size of a grain of rice, can be.  Having an owners contact details at hand removes the chance that they may lose their dog. Microchipping is the only permanent way of identifying your pet, and it ensures that any lost animal can be reunited with its owner as quickly as possible. It takes no time at all and simply involves inserting a chip without your dog taking much notice. So Battersea is keen dog owners will take the time to get it done.”