Charity teams up with The Beano and tags Gnasher to show how painless microchipping is

Dogs Trust has partnered with iconic British comic The Beano to microchip Dennis the Menace’s furry friend Gnasher.

After years of the infamous dog giving Beanotown residents the run-around, in this week’s strip in the Dundee based comic, the duo’s escapades culminate in a visit to the newly opened Dogs Trust Beanotown rehoming centre.

It soon becomes apparent though that Gnasher, despite his mischievous nature, has never been microchipped himself – something that is soon rectified.

As part of the charity’s Chip My Dog initiative, Dogs Trust is working with The Beano to encourage all dog owners in the UK to microchip their dogs.

Legislation will come into force in England in 2016 which will make microchipping compulsory. The Scottish Government has yet to announce its intentions to introduce compulsory microchipping, but Dogs Trust hopes that they will follow suit soon.

Craig Graham, The Beano editor, said: “Gnasher has been found everywhere from Southampton’s quayside, to Scotland and even floating around Space. Gnasher is always giving Dennis the slip, in fact I’d say it’s an average of about three times a week, so a microchip will be invaluable in identifying him and making sure that he always manages to get home safely.”

Adrian Burder, Dogs Trust chief executive, added: “Although Gnasher getting microchipped in The Beano is tongue-in-cheek, it serves a real purpose in showing just how simple and painless the microchipping process is for both owners and their dogs and we hope more dogs will join Gnasher in getting a free microchip through Dogs Trust.

“I hope that Dennis has a bit more peace of mind now and remembers to update Gnasher’s microchip with new address details if he moves home!”

Dogs Trust has free microchipping events taking place across the country details of which can be found at chipmydog.org.uk.