Microchip will get your dog home faster

This furry friend (above) could have been home if he'd had a microchip.

The Masterton District Council is encouraging owners to get their dog microchipped - it only costs $20.

The dog was picked up by the pound on Monday with no collar or chip.

Dog (animal) control officer team leader Malcolm Falk said dogs were scanned when they were picked up by the pound.

"Nine times out of 10 they slip out of their collar so the only identifiable means of locating the owner is scanning it for a chip. The amount of times we have been able to scan the dog and return it home is just awesome," Mr Falk said.

Microchipping is required by law but working dogs are exempt.

However, a good working dog can cost up to $5000.

"They are the tools of the farmers so why wouldn't you spend a little bit of money on getting it chipped," he said.

By law if a dog goes into the pound and it is not chipped, it has to be chipped before it leaves.

"It's something that we try to encourage owners to do for the benefit of the dog and making our job easier to return the dog to the owner. A lot of them are members of families and the trauma that the family goes through when these dogs go missing is similar to the trauma of losing a child," Mr Falk said.

If a dog changes ownership, the chip details are transferred to the new owner.

"It's just a really simple way of identifying the owner of a dog."