Dog owners are to be obliged to micro-chip their dogs under new regulations to be issued this week.

Micro-chipping will last a lifetime and will cost €10 for neutered dogs and €20 if they are not neutered.

Resources Minister George Pullicino said micro-chipping will replace the previous requirement for dog owners to register the dogs at the police station.

This practise cost dog owners some €23 over the average dog’s life-span of 10 years. So, effectively, the new system will be cheaper than current practise, Mr Pullicino pointed out.

Dogs which are already micro-chipped will have to be registered with their vet so as to be included in the National Livestock Database.

It is thought that there are about 100,000 dogs in Malta, of which only 5,000 are registered. Mr Pullicino said this was leading to a problem of strays which was not only unfair on the dogs but was also a public health problem.

There had been several instances last year when the Animal Welfare Department were called because strays were forming packs and being aggressive towards domestic dogs, he said.

The minister said that a microchip was no bigger than a grain of rice and it was injected between the shoulders.

People found walking unchipped dogs will be fined €300 and strays found unchipped will be taken to shelters.

Eventually, the system will also be introduced for cats.