Special September offer for Ballymena's dog owners

Low-cost microchipping for dogs will also be on offer for all other dog owners who attend the events.

These are being held at the following times and places:

September 6 at Cullybackey, Cullybackey Spar shop;

September 7 at Martinstow, Martinstown Chapel car park;

September 8 at Galgorm, Galgorm Community Centre car park;

September 9 at Ahoghil, Cullybackey Road link;

September 10 at Ballymena, Tesco car park;

September 13 at Dunvale, Dunvale shops;

September 14 at Broughshane, Broughshane Community Centre;

September 15 at Ballymena, People’s Park;

September 16 at Ballymena, Ballee Shopping Centre;

September 17 at Ballymena, Ballykeel Two Community Centre.

Events will be held between 11am and 3pm at each venue. There is no need to register but for more details please call Dogs Trust on 07714 838 575.

Dogs Trust cares for over 16,000 stray or abandoned dogs every year through its network of 17 Rehoming Centres. Dogs Trust never puts a healthy dog down.

Ronnie Milsop, Campaign Manager for Dogs Trust in Northern Ireland, says: “Dogs Trust works hard to promote responsible dog ownership and we are delighted to be working with Ballymena Council on these events.

“Microchipping is a simple procedure which could mean the difference between being reunited with a lost pet and never seeing them again, while neutering has many health benefits including protecting against certain forms of cancer. Our roadshows are always well attended and we look forward to welcoming lots of local dog owners over the next few weeks.”

* A microchip is a small electronic device, the size of a grain of rice, which is implanted under the skin between a dog’s shoulder blades. The microchip is coded with a unique number that is stored on a database. This number can be read by a scanner. If a dog is ever lost its owners can then easily be traced.