A BORDER terrier called Lilly is the 1,000th dog to be micro-chipped for free by Eden District Council’s community wardens.

The four-year-old's owner Rhian Burdis from Penrith said: “I heard through Facebook about the free dog micro-chipping session being organised by the Dogs Trust and the Council at the Evergreen Hall in Penrith last week, so I took Lilly along.

"It is so important to get your dog micro-chipped, especially for the smaller breeds, as they are becoming so popular many are being taken and because they are so small it’s easy for them to escape and go missing.

Eden District Council’s senior community warden, Becky Duckworth, said: “In April 2016, it becomes law that all dogs are micro-chipped in England, so that if a dog strays, it can be identified and returned to its owner. In the past week alone, six dogs have been reported as strays to the district council, three of which were not micro-chipped.

"It is also important that all dogs have a collar and tag, with the owner’s details on, which means that it is even faster and easier to return them.”

If you would like to join the waiting list for free micro-chipping, register your interest by calling Eden District Council on 01768 817817 or email: customer.services@eden.gov.uk