By what age must puppies be microchipped (unless exempt)?

• A. 6 weeks
• B. 12 weeks
• C. 16 weeks
• D. 8 weeks

Answer: (D)

Eight weeks is the age by which puppies should be microchipped unless there’s a valid exemption. This rule exists to ensure every puppy has permanent, traceable identification as soon as they’re headed to a new home or potentially far from their dam. The microchip is a small, lifelong transponder that, when registered to the current owner in a database, makes it much easier to reunite a lost or stolen puppy with its family. Procedures are quick and often fit in with routine vaccinations, but exemptions can apply for health reasons or local regulations, in which case the chip should be implanted as soon as practically possible and the owner’s contact details kept up to date in the database.