As a businessman who loves animals, there was never any doubt which industry Ian Gould would dedicate himself to. From humble beginnings in the pet grooming industry, Ian’s determination to improve standards saw him open the Grooming Training Academy with Business Partner and professional Groomer, Michelle McHugh in 2005, before bravely opening the first of his Veterinary Surgeries in 2010. Two years later, he founded his own charity, Canine Devotion, working to provide trained canine companions to assist people with special needs in the community, along with Pet Insure veterinary claims management systems, Pet Identity-Pet insurance and now Ian has set his sights on the Pet Micro chipping sector, keen to provide an expert level of service that he feels the Veterinary industry, and pet owners, deserve.
“From my time directing the veterinary surgeries, I noticed that there was no regulation around the microchip industry – it seemed un-coordinated and complacent”, he explains. “I have 5 dogs, and I knew the kind of service I was looking for from a micro chipping company, but just couldn’t find it”. Ian decided to set up PIRA – the Pet Identity Registration Association – to bring together thinking on the issue, and try to improve standards. He quickly decided to go one step further, however. “As the old adage says, if you want a job doing properly, do it yourself”, he adds. “Pretty quickly, I’d set up my own business in the sector, Pet Identity UK.”
Launched on 1st June, Pet Identity UK is set apart by its innovative Registration system. “The system enables rapid and mobile registration with the function for owners to access the records and update details online themselves – should they change address, or sell their pet, for instance; all of which makes Vets lives a lot easier. The system is also equipped for supporting electronic ‘pet passport’ creation”, explains Ian, which brings us to his latest initiative.
“I’m currently approaching the Scottish Government and local council constituents", he reports, “about my idea of linking pet micro chipping with compulsory dog licensing. If we want to solve the many problems in the industry – puppy farms, dangerous dogs, lost and stolen pets – then we need to give dogs and their owners more than just a barcode. We need to log who their parents were, who bred them, register all breeders with the HMRC, register all puppies on national data base at birth, log the date of their first immunisations, and footprint their full medical history too, for that matter – just as we do with medical records for people. That way Vets will be able to treat them holistically – taking into account previous medical conditions and so on. Even if a dog changes owner, that information will not be lost. We’ve devised our system extensively to do all that, and we’re lobbying to persuade the powers that be of the benefits - both in terms of community saftey and pet health care. We’re pet lovers first and foremost and as a group of pet care experts are working hard towards raising standards.”
In the meantime, Ian is inviting Vets across the UK to trial his system. “Were offering a batch of free microchips to all Vets as well as 50% off microchips untill 6th April 2016 - in support of the compulsory Microchipping law which will then come into force in England. It will make it easy for Vets to try us out for size”, says Ian. “If they like us, they can then order microchips – and any implanting equipment etc - direct from our website. Our products and services have been developed with both veterinary surgeries and pet owners at heart."
What's more, with the impending dog microchipping legislation in England, Ian has developed services to help pet owners, too. "Owners in their millions will soon be looking to get their dog microchipped", he adds, “and we’ll be using our site to offer advice and support to help owners choose the right Implantor - making sure they’re properly trained for instance, and are even offering a search facility enabling owners to find Microchip Implanters in their area. Hopefully it will help to make the process less stressful for owners”, he concludes.