RSPCA Cymru is reminding dog owners to make sure their pets are microchipped before a new law comes into place next month.

From April 6 it will be become a legal requirement for dogs to be microchipped in Wales and for the owners’ details to be kept up-to-date.

Compulsory microchipping will help to make it easier to identify owners of dogs that have strayed or are being mistreated, neglected, abandoned or lost.

The RSPCA would like to stress the importance of updating the contact details on your pet's microchip as there are many examples of when an animal is found to have been microchipped but the owners are not identifiable due to the details being out of date.

A recent case involved Harvey the Dalmatian who was found alone and freezing cold at a bus stop in Hampshire. He was microchipped - with the registered address listed as Ynysybwl, Pontypridd – but the phone numbers were not current. As a result Harvey remains in RSPCA care.