Starting next year, dog owners in Finland will be legally obliged to microchip and register their pooches. The move aims to prevent illegal animal trafficking, puppy mills and pet abandonment.
Every dog in Finland will need to be registered with the Finnish Food Authority's dog register, set to open in early January.
Terhi Jääskeläinen, an animal welfare specialist at the Finnish Food Authority, said mandatory information will include a dog's name, date of birth, breed and chip information. For mixed breeds, owners can provide descriptive details like size and colour.
Lineage information is not necessary for the official register, which will not be a searchable public database.
Finland is home to some 700,000 dogs, some half a million of which have been chipped, a procedure carried out by veterinary clinics.
"Puppies born next year must be chipped and registered within three months of birth," Jääskeläinen explained, adding that it was the responsibility of breeders to chip their pups before passing them on to new owners.
While the Finnish Kennel Club already has the details of some 500,000 dogs, this information will not automatically transfer to the Finnish Food Authority's dog register. The onus is on owners to comply with the new rules.
Getting a dog officially registered will carry a cost, although the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has yet to decide on the price.
"We're talking about 20 euros or so. The point is not to collect excess funds, but to cover the cost of registration," she said.
Owners will have all of 2023 to register their hounds. From now on, lost and deceased dogs must also be reported to the register.