New laws have been put in place for dog owners in Ireland.

From April 1st all dogs here must be microchipped and registered with an authorised database like FIDO - or owners could face fines of up to €5000.

This new microchipping scheme is in an effort to reunite owners with their lost or stolen pets and to relieve the pressure on animal charities.

Gillian Bird is a spokesperson for the Dublin Society for the prevention of cruelty to animals.

She says if your dog gets lost and ends up at the pound it will be very difficult to prove ownership from April 1st without a microchip