Mr. Paul Savage:

There was a well-known case of corgis last year that were stolen before they were microchipped. Different methods were used to ensure the perpetrators were caught. That was down to the Garda investigations. It would be possible for the microchip registry to see the data before us if a dog of a certain breed in a certain age group turned up. When we look at the data, if a microchip is in the person's name and he or she is registered and has all the information that shows he or she is the legitimate owner, it would be very hard to take action, but that would not be the case if it was clear it was a stolen dog and the person then produced a microchip.