Ms Sarah Lynch:

I will just explain why it is so important that the information be up to date. There are two reasons. First is reunification. If someone loves their dog and it goes missing, if it runs away in a park and the person does not know what has happened, they could be reunited if the information is up to date. This is why we always encourage everyone to ensure they get in touch if they change their phone number, address or anything else. They also need to make sure they change the details when they buy or acquire a dog by any means. That dog should already be registered to whoever has the dog, who they are taking the dog from, no matter what age that dog is. The certificate that belongs to that dog should then be passed over to the person and they can change the details. Reunification is one major aspect but correct recording of details along the way also facilitates this sort of tracking and telling of the dog's story. It enables transparency and enables owners to see where the dog has come from. It enables rescues like ours to see what this dog has gone though, whether it came from a breeding establishment, was a stray, or turned up in a local authority pound and so forth. If it is done correctly it can provide a lot of answers along the way. That is why it is so important.