# Changing ownership details on a rescue dog's microchip?



## Chrisruptor (Mar 20, 2014)

So I adopted a dog just under a year ago who had been in the kennels for over a year apparently.

However he already had a microchip and I'm yet to change the details on it. The rescue told me I could just phone up the main two companies and see of he's registered or not and change the details there and then.

However on the petlog site they say you can only do it via a postal application form with a £16 cheque. (Rip-off).

I'm not sure what identichip's process is. The petlog site claims his microchip number is registered however.

My question: if I send out the form, will they contact the previous owners and require permission? And what if they can't change it but cash my cheque anyway?

My concern is, he was found as a stray so wouldn't the previous owners be contacted? The rescue had to get a vet to estimate his age etc and gave me the impression they had no knowledge of previous owners. Do I have any chance of losing my dog if the previous owners are contacted by petlog and claim they were never told he'd been found,etc?


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## Helbo (Sep 15, 2010)

Firstly, £16 to have the correct details on the microchip is worth it imo. If the dog were to ever get lost, you'd have a good chance of being reunited. 

Secondly, I'm sure the rescue went through the process of trying to find the previous owners via the microchip. So I think the chances of the microchip company accidentally finding them is low. 

If you're worried, enclose details of you rescuing the dog (copies) with any forms you send away to prove your ownership.


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

I took in a stray cat who has a microchip but owners could not be contacted as the registered telephone numbers had been disconnected. The address was visited by one of the vet nurses who discovered it is now temporary accommodation and no-one knew anything about the cat or recognised the owners name.

My cat's chip was registered through Identichip with a company called Anibase. They had a form that had to be completed and sent back to them and a fee of £6.00.

They will write to the address my cat was registered at and if they have no response in 28 days they will change the cat's details in to my name.

I would imagine this is fairly standard practice or else anyone could take in or steal an animal and have it's details changed into their name.

Have you tried speaking to the rescue? They surely must have already tried to contact the owners via the phone numbers and address on the chip. And they should know where you would stand legally if the owners were now to respond and want their dog back. I believe that, provided the rescue organisation followed the correct legal procedures for registering the dog as lost, the owner is given 7 days to reclaim the dog and has no legal claim to it after this period but I'm sure the rescue would be able to advise you.


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## IncaThePup (May 30, 2011)

I don't think the microchip company are allowed to give out your address to the old owners, there was a story in press about a man who had his dog stolen and microchip company contacted him to confirm he wanted to change his address and name details and he said no cos dog had been stolen but company wouldn't give out new owners name and address, even when he involved police and court he couldn't get address where his dog was being kept. 

so even if original owners said no, the company can't give them your address cos of data protection act or something?..makes you wonder why they're bothering to make it legal to microchip, if your dog can still be stolen or lost and end up with someone else!


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## Ownedbymany (Nov 16, 2014)

Chrisruptor said:


> So I adopted a dog just under a year ago who had been in the kennels for over a year apparently.
> 
> However he already had a microchip and I'm yet to change the details on it. The rescue told me I could just phone up the main two companies and see of he's registered or not and change the details there and then.
> 
> ...


I'm not sure the exact answer but having a pet chipped is not proof of ownership (do check as this may have changed but even if it has I still don't think you have reason to worry), your adoption papers will be proof however. If the dog was in a shelter they would have tried to find the owner from the off so after being in kennels for a year the owner has had plenty of chance to locate and reclaim the dog. I would say you have nothing to worry about.


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2015)

Petlog premium is £16 and you can update the chip as manytimes as you want to in the dogs life. 

You can also add temporary addresses and phone numbers etc.

Totally worth it in my opinion.

We adopted Oreo from RSPCA and we just sent in a copy of our adoption paperwork along with our details and they updated the microchip and sent us our certificate. 

It was a bit of a shame we couldn't do it online to start with but it's for security I guess.

We tried to find out details of previous owner (more to understand where she had been as rspca didn't know her history) however all they could tell us was where and when the chip was fitted (which ironically was before the date of birth the rspca gave us).

For me £16 for updating a microchip for the dogs life is 100% a no brainer for me.

As for old owners coming back and claiming the dog, I must admit that is something that has worried me in the past too. That is why I keep all the paperwork, vet bills etc so that if anyone did come knocking I'd have evidence (along with my adoption paperwork) that the dog was legally mine.


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## Ownedbymany (Nov 16, 2014)

IncaThePup said:


> I don't think the microchip company are allowed to give out your address to the old owners, there was a story in press about a man who had his dog stolen and microchip company contacted him to confirm he wanted to change his address and name details and he said no cos dog had been stolen but company wouldn't give out new owners name and address, even when he involved police and court he couldn't get address where his dog was being kept.
> 
> so even if original owners said no, the company can't give them your address cos of data protection act or something?..makes you wonder why they're bothering to make it legal to microchip, if your dog can still be stolen or lost and end up with someone else!


That's disgusting, I get not giving the dogs address and location to a member of public but to the police/court or other law enforcing body???

Do you have a link to this story please?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Chrisruptor said:


> So I adopted a dog just under a year ago who had been in the kennels for over a year apparently.
> 
> However he already had a microchip and I'm yet to change the details on it. The rescue told me I could just phone up the main two companies and see of he's registered or not and change the details there and then.
> 
> ...


Its not uncommon for people to move and not update their dogs chip details, 
sell the dog on, and no one changes it, or even lie about the dog being theirs, or just say they sold the dog on ages ago. My friend works in a vets where they often bring in strays or particularly if they are injured, and all of the above applies, they often just say they sold they dog when asked and that he is no longer theirs.

Really the rescue should have checked or the dog warden if the dog was picked up as a stray.

My youngest was chipped by the RSPCA home, before I got her and they gave me the paper work to transfer in her name, that was pet log too, and I had to fill in the paperwork and send it off with a fee, so there is always a transfer fee that you have to pay.

If petlog or the site have confirmed that it is a petlog registered number and there is a previous registration for him, the only thing I can suggest, is to perhaps ask the rescue to write a covering letter, confirming he was a stray, 
there was no contact for previous owners, he was never claimed, he was a long stay in rescue kennels and then give your details and confirm when he was adopted. Then send that letter in with the application to pet log hopefully that will clear things up.


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## IncaThePup (May 30, 2011)

Ownedbymany said:


> That's disgusting, I get not giving the dogs address and location to a member of public but to the police/court or other law enforcing body???
> 
> Do you have a link to this story please?


Microchip firm won't tell dog owner who has stolen his pet | Daily Mail Online


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## Ownedbymany (Nov 16, 2014)

IncaThePup said:


> Microchip firm won't tell dog owner who has stolen his pet | Daily Mail Online


Thank you, I didn't realise the dog hadn't been reported stolen. I still think that whoevers name is on the chip should be responsible for the dog though and that anyone rehoming their dog should ensure the chips details are changed to the new owners names.


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

Apparently a previous owner can still try to claim their dog back:

https://www.gov.uk/report-stray-dog

Stray dogs

However, if your dog has been in rescue for a year and the rescue has made genuine attempts to find them and you've then owned and cared for the dog for a further year I doubt any previous owner's attempt to reclaim the dog would be successful.


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## Guest (Feb 10, 2015)

I'd fight tooth and nail to keep my dog if her old owners come knocking. 

Granted we have had her for three years now so the likelyhood of that happening is small but I do sometimes wonder what her past was like and if she was lost rather than given up, especially given how loyal she is.


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## IncaThePup (May 30, 2011)

ameliajane said:


> Apparently a previous owner can still try to claim their dog back:
> 
> https://www.gov.uk/report-stray-dog
> 
> ...


 I don't understand how this can work.. on the one hand they're saying a chip doesn't prove ownership but you have to return the dog to the person named on the chip or try to contact them? and if that's the case then what happened with the case of the man who had his dog stolen and wasn't allowed to know where dog was now?

Surely if new owners had contacted microchip company to register it to new owners and man had told them it was stolen why didn't police go to address of new owners and explain that dog had been stolen and this had come to light after microchip company had contacted original owner???

it seems to be one set of rules for some people and another for others?


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## ameliajane (Mar 26, 2011)

IncaThePup said:


> Surely if new owners had contacted microchip company to register it to new owners and man had told them it was stolen why didn't police go to address of new owners


According to that article the owner had not actually reported the dog as stolen - he was simply trying to obtain the personal details of the person who had the dog himself.

I can understand that data protection prevents chip companies from giving out personal details to just anybody who asks - if this protection were not in place none of our personal details would be safe. And chip companies are not in a position to adjudicate in disputes about ownership - how do they know who is telling the truth?

The owner needed to report the dog as stolen and let the police investigate the theft. I'm sure the police would be able to obtain the details of the person trying to re-register the dog to enable them to investigate.


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## Ownedbymany (Nov 16, 2014)

ameliajane said:


> I can understand that data protection prevents chip companies from giving out personal details to just anybody who asks - if this protection were not in place none of our personal details would be safe. And chip companies are not in a position to adjudicate in disputes about ownership - how do they know who is telling the truth?
> .


This is why I think it's a good idea (in theory) for the chip details to be able to be changed at the point the dog is rehomed by the original owner. It would be impossible to enforce though so it would need to be really widely publicised that when buying or rehoming a dog that the new owner isn't officially the owner unless the details are changed. It would save any disputes later on and would prevent cases where the previous owner change their mind and trying to claim the dog back. It's a shame the message wouldn't get to everyone though, there will always be some that got caught out so realistically it wouldn't work.

I don't understand why you wouldn't report a dog that had been lost or stolen though...


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## Catharinem (Dec 17, 2014)

brummiedog said:


> I'd fight tooth and nail to keep my dog if her old owners come knocking.
> 
> Granted we have had her for three years now so the likelyhood of that happening is small but I do sometimes wonder what her past was like and if she was lost rather than given up, especially given how loyal she is.


If you lost her yourself, how long would you look for her? Surely you'd at least agree to meet the old owners if they turned up one day, having been looking for their dog for 3 years? Least you could do would be set their minds at rest that she's safe and loved, not wandering the streets or been used as dog bait for fighters.

Going back to the original post, update your dogs details at the microchip company. Chances are the owners don't want their dog back, and after 28 days she'd be yours in microchip as well as adoption terms. But there's a small chance they are looking for her and worried sick, surely better to get out in the open and decide what is best for the dog (they'd probably be relieved just to know she's happy with you), than hang on to her and hope they don't find out. After all, finders keepers/losers weepers, but not very fair if the weeper is a child who's been crying herself to sleep at night. Get in out in the open and go from there, or you'll always be looking over your shoulder for someone to recognise her.


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## Jasmine 2016 (Mar 22, 2017)

IncaThePup said:


> I don't think the microchip company are allowed to give out your address to the old owners, there was a story in press about a man who had his dog stolen and microchip company contacted him to confirm he wanted to change his address and name details and he said no cos dog had been stolen but company wouldn't give out new owners name and address, even when he involved police and court he couldn't get address where his dog was being kept.
> 
> so even if original owners said no, the company can't give them your address cos of data protection act or something?..makes you wonder why they're bothering to make it legal to microchip, if your dog can still be stolen or lost and end up with someone else!


The old owners of my dog said no and we've been trying to change it for many years I'm disappointed that they wont as they have never made an effort to get her back.she's happy healthy 12 1/2 year old and so beautiful.


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