London, April 24 (IANS) The British government is planning to microchip all pet dogs in the country under a sweeping regulation that will enable it combat dangerous animals.

 
 Under the plan, an electronic chip will be implanted under the skin of each puppy born and each dog sold in Britain.
 
 The aim is to put the details of each pet dog on a national database accessible to police and the RSPCA, a British animal welfare organisation, according to the Daily Mail.
 
 A government document obtained by The Mail says: "The compulsory microchipping of dogs on change of ownership would affect anyone breeding dogs for sale or gifting to another person or persons."
 
 "This would apply to anyone breeding dogs, whether they are a breeder or a private person whose bitch has a litter, whether planned or not."
 
 The proposal, however, has prompted criticism from the parliamentarians and animal experts. They claim it will unfairly penalise the law-abiding owners of Britain's eight million dogs and will do nothing to tackle the problems posed by dangerous breeds such as pitbulls and Japanese tosas, according to the newspaper.
 
 Until now, ministers have been reluctant to introduce compulsory microchipping amid fears of a backlash from dog owners. The Dogs Trust estimates that around 800,000 puppies are born each year.
 
 The document, drawn up by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), says the chips would initially be imprinted with the details of the dog breeder and would be "updated by other persons transferring ownership of their pet with the contact details of the new owner when ownership is transferred".
 
 The cost of microchipping each animal is around 35 pounds. The procedure is usually carried out by a vet and involves a small chip being implanted under the skin of the dog using a needle and special syringe. The microchip can be detected using a hand-held device.
 
 There have been a series of deaths in Britain after savage attacks by dangerous dogs. Figures show a dramatic rise in the number of dangerous dogs. In London last year 1,512 banned dogs were held by the Metropolitan Police - up from just 27 in 2005.
 
 Ownership of dog licenses was abolished in Britain in 1988.