Get your pets chipped '“ and keep the details updated!

Penelope the dog, whose outdated microchip details meant she had to be put in kennels

Penelope, a 10-year-old Belgian Malinois, was picked up in Hemel Hempstead by Dacorum Borough Council’s dog warden in October last year.

She had rope tied around her neck, which had rubbed all her fur away down to the skin, but other than that the pooch was in good health.

But despite having a microchip, it was Swiss and had not been registered with the UK database.

A spokesman for Dacorum Borough Council said: “The only information Petlog were able to give was that the microchip was held with the European Pet Network and had been implanted in 2006. No other details were registered.”

The dog warden scanned Doglost.co.uk and other missing pet websites but this proved fruitless.

There was no option left but to place Penelope in kennels, which can be scary and unsettling for an animal that has never experienced it before.

Penelope spent five months – including Christmas – in kennels where she captured the heart of Kim, a member of staff.

The pooch will leave for her new home very soon and her microchip details will be updated.

Dacorum Borough Council wants to remind pet owners that not only will it be compulsory for all dogs to be microchipped from 6 April this year, but that it’s vital that you keep the details up to date so that lost dogs can be reunited with their owners.

It could mean the difference between your pet being returned to you or being forced to be rehomed.