A WARMINSTER woman has been fined over £800 after it was found her dog was not microchip registered and it did not have an ID tag on its collar.

Jenna Louise Williams of Beech Avenue in Warminster was prosecuted after a member of the public discovered a stray dog in November 2020 and the owner of the dog could not be identified.

It was found to be microchipped but not registered on any of the government approved websites.

The dog was taken to the holding kennels, where it was collected two days later by the owner who was able to provide identification documents.

The owner was served with a microchip improvement notice, that required it to be registered against the chip within 21 days

It was said that officers from the dog warden team tried to engage with the owner by phone and post but when they checked the dog’s chip status this month – it had still not been correctly registered.

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This was when the decision to prosecute was made.

Ms Williams was prosecuted under both the Control of Dogs Order 1992 and the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulation 2015

The case was heard at Salisbury Magistrates court on December 7 2021, having previously been adjourned on two previous occasions.

The owner failed to attend the court date, so the case was held in their absence. A fine of £220 was issued for each offence, plus a victim surcharge of £44 and prosecution costs of £336.77, meaning a total fine of £820.77.

Cabinet member for public health and protection, Ian Blair-Pilling said: “I am pleased that we were able to pursue a prosecution in this case, as our Dog Warden team deal with a large number of stray dogs.

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“Whilst most are able to be returned to their owners some must be taken to kennels where they are held legally for seven days and if not claimed the Bath Cats and Dogs home rehome them on our behalf.

“The outcome of this case serves as a reminder that all dogs legally must be wearing both a collar and tag in public spaces and be microchipped with the details registered to a government approved provider.

“If all owners could ensure that they do this for their pets, our teams will be able to reunite any lost or stray animals quicker and easier, much to the relief of all concerned.”