A Tory MP is pushing for a new law to stop pets being put down without the consent of their owners.
James Daly is behind legislation that would require vets to scan microchips of healthy and treatable animals first to check the registered keeper and any rescue organisation providing backup.
It was inspired by the Tuk’s Law campaign launched when a healthy young Romanian rescue dog called Tuk was taken to be euthanised by someone who was not the registered owner.
The Bury North MP said: “I couldn’t come to terms and couldn’t accept that we had a situation where you can take a healthy animal that has perhaps done nothing wrong to anybody and it could be euthanised for no good reason.
“It just seems extraordinary that we wouldn’t make an effort to save the lives of healthy animals.”
If Tuk’s microchip had been scanned in 2017 the vet would have found details of rescuers who would have taken him back into their care.
The Pets (Microchips) Bill would also require local authorities to scan cats found dead in road accidents and contact their owners after the Gizmo’s Legacy campaign launched when a cat hit by a vehicle was disposed of without being scanned in 2016.
Mr Daly said that owners “would want to know what happened” if their cat had been involved in a road accident.
He said: “To give people that comfort and that knowledge seems to me a worthwhile thing to do. I think we underestimate the bond between owners and pets and we shouldn’t.”
Mr Daly’s private members’ bill, which has its second reading in the Commons on Friday, is unlikely to progress without government backing.
He said: “My message is this is not a political bill, it’s a bill that is virtually cost neutral but can have a very beneficial impact for people throughout our country and I think that’s the basis of good policy making.
“I will continue until I stop doing this job to try to get this over the line.”
Mr Daly, who has a pet dog, added that the UK is a “nation of cat and dog lovers”.
Campaigners behind Gizmo’s Legacy are from Mr Daly’s constituency and he said it was “important” for him to support them.
It is a legal requirement for dogs to be microchipped and from June it will also become compulsory for cats.
A Defra spokesperson said: “We recognise how painful it is to lose a pet and not to know what has happened, which is why in 2016 we made it compulsory to microchip all pet dogs in England and have extended this legislation to include cats from 10 June 2024.
“Highways England and the majority of local authorities already have procedures in place to scan cats and dogs that have died by the roadside and we have worked closely with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and British Veterinary Association to develop guidance which requires vets to scan the microchips of healthy dogs so they are not put down unnecessarily.
“We are planning further microchipping reform later this year which will make it easier for users to search for details contained on the microchip records.”
