The Pet Industry Federation has announced its support for ‘Harvey’s Law’, a campaign calling for the compulsory scanning of domestic animals when they are found by the roadside.

‘Harvey’s Law’ has been spearheaded by Nina Blackburn in response to the death of Harvey - a miniature poodle that died on the motorway in 2013. Despite a massive local search, his fate wasn’t discovered for another 13 weeks, as Highways Agency procedures didn’t require officers to scan, log and report pets found on the road.

The campaign is calling for legislation which would require Highways Agency departments to compulsorily scan all domestic animals retrieved from the highways and to log details and photographs with police and dog wardens.

The issue was debated in Parliament on Monday after the e-petition reached over 118,000 signatures.

Nigel Baker, Pet Industry Federation Chief Executive said: ‘The Pet Industry Federation is delighted to add its voice to the ‘Harvey’s Law’ campaign. We know from working with our members that pets are part of the family, and it’s only natural that their owners want to leave no stone unturned in finding out what has happened to their pet if they go missing. Legislation requiring the relevant agencies to scan and log domestic animals found on the roadside would help to prevent the long wait that many pet owners face in finding out what happened to their missing pet’.

Nina Blackburn said: ‘In April 2016 the law will state that all dogs must be microchipped. Can the government really insist that some 9 million dog owners, by law, must have their dogs micro chipped but then state, that should their dog be killed on one of England's Highways, nothing will be in place in order to scan that chip and notify the owner? 

"Harvey was not an isolated case; there are many other documented stories just like Harvey's and families have been left devastated by the failure and lack of procedure on the UK’s roads. This is such a simple procedure, the cost of which is minimal. To be notified that your beloved pet has been killed on any of our roads is the least a pet owner should expect."

To see the latest on the Harvey’s Law campaign, visit the Facebook page – ‘Find Harvey’.