Dog’s Trust is urging all UK dog owners to ensure their dogs’ microchip information is up-to-date.

The message comes following the publication of the organisation’s Stray Dog Survey, which revealed that 181 dogs go missing every day.

The research found that 69% of the microchipped stray dogs taken in by Local Authorities were not able to be reunited with their owners, as their microchips contained out of date information. Because of this, many of these dogs risked the threat of being put to sleep by local authorities.

The charity suspects that these dogs may be much loved family pets which have sadly ended up permanently separated from their families because their owner’s had moved house or changed their phone number, and neglected to contact the microchip database to update their contact details on their dog’s microchip.

The research also revealed that only one in four people know to contact the local dog warden if they find a stray dog.

For further information visit the Dog’s Trust website.