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Finnish dog registry opens up to include working dogs

Dogs owned by associations and businesses will now be included in the nationwide registry, which will eventually lead to all dogs in Finland having microchips.

A white dog poses with a reflective harness on a grass field.
Working dogs will now be registered in the Finnish Food Authority's register. Image: Jukka Pätynen / koirakuvat.fi
  • Yle News

The Finnish Food Authority's dog registry expands on Tuesday, as dogs owned by companies and associations can now be registered using a business ID.

Until now, only private individuals have been able to put their dogs' information into the registry, which opened in May this year.

The controversial dog registry will eventually lead to microchips in all dogs in Finland.

Every dog in Finland must be registered by the end of the year. The Finnish Kennel Club estimated in March that there are more than 800,000 dogs in Finland.

In the future, the Dog Register will record the identification and ownership details of all dogs that live permanently in Finland. This compulsory dog register is the first of its kind in Finland.

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