I love my dog and would be devastated if I ever lost her. I’m sure those reading who have pets of their own can empathise.

That’s why I urge all pet owners to check that their pets are microchipped.

From March 2015 the Welsh Government has committed to introducing compulsory microchipping for dogs. This measure means that from March 1, 2015 all dogs will be required to have a microchip with their details recorded on an authorised database.

While this new law is welcome, it is also long overdue. Microchipping has fast become as much a part of responsible dog ownership as having a collar for your dog or taking them to the vet when ill.

Plaid Cymru have been talking about compulsory microchipping for years and arguing that all breeders should be getting puppies microchipped before they leave their mothers.

Already over 60 per cent of dogs are microchipped so there’s a good chance that your dog is too. If not, it is easy to get done.

Some dog charities offer free microchipping at their centres, but if there’s not one close by, your vet is likely to be able to help. It only cost £1 to have my dog microchipped.

The police, dog wardens, animal shelters and vets all have microchip scanners and The Kennel Club donated scanners to every local authority in England and Wales in support of the new law.

This means that if your dog ever gets lost, it will be easy to trace you and reunite you with them. This could save a huge amount of heartbreak and save animal charities and local authorities time and money. A dog from Barry was recently reunited with his family after ten years thanks to microchipping.

Unfortunately, despite the increasingly widespread use of microchips, currently almost half of all lost microchipped pets are still unable to be reunited with their families because their information is out of date.

Not only will the new law make microchipping compulsory, it also requires dog owners to keep their details on the database up to date, particularly if they sell or give away their dog.

So if you have a dog, it’s important to investigate getting them microchipped or, if they already have been, double checking that your details on the database are correct.

One day it could be the key in being reunited with your dog.