A new law which will make it mandatory for owners to microchip their dogs will promote animal welfare and help owners be reunited with lost pets faster, supporters have said.
The Government believes the legislation, which comes into force in England on 6 April, could save councils and charities up to £33m a year.
Owners who have failed to microchip their pets beyond this date will be guilty of a criminal offence and could face a fine of £500.
Animal welfare minister George Eustice said the policy will "also help to tackle the growing problem of strays roaming the streets".
According to Defra, more than 102,000 stray or stolen dogs are picked up on the streets every year - placing a burden on local authorities.
Christopher Barnard, from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, told Sky News: "There'll be a much quicker turnover of dogs in our care, and it will help us locate the owners of dogs that usually, if they weren't microchipped, we wouldn't be able to find."
Microchipping technology helped them reunite 542 lost dogs with their owners in 2015, the charity says.
The procedure for microchipping, which involves injecting a rice grain-sized chip into the back of a dog's neck, is quick and cheap - costing as little as £10.
Since the law was announced in 2013, some animal shelters and charities have been offering the service for free to those who need it.
Dogs Trust, which took care of more than 47,000 unclaimed and unwanted dogs nationwide in 2015, has described microchipping as a "small but essential piece of technology" - and said it was vital that the national database is kept up to date.
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