Animal welfare chiefs have launched a major campaign to stamp out dog thefts in central southern England.

RSPCA bosses, dog wardens and vets believe that microchipping pets is the only effective way to halt the growing problem. Officials say that dognappers will think twice before snatching microchipped animals.

Welfare organisations and council officials across the region have joined forces to promote a summer-long microchipping initiative in Hampshire and IoW, Berkshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.

Pet-ID UK Ltd and local authority dog wardens,e launched the first push of the microchipping drive in Winchester on Wednesday.

Officials say that tens and thousands of dogs are stolen every year and quite a number are never returned to their distraught owners because they have no ID and are not microchipped.

Microchipping is a simple, quick and painless procedure. It involves implanting a tiny chip underneath an animal's skin. If it goes missing and is found wandering, a scanner can be used to check its ID.

Every chip has a unique number which is stored in a national database with the animal owner's name, address and telephone number. Microchipping helps to ensure stray or stolen animals can be reunited with their owners.

Some750,00 animals in Britain have been microchipped. By law, every dog must have a collar and tag, regardless of whether microchipped or not.

Winchester dog control officer, Caroline Barnes said there was a major problem in her area. "We have a lot of lost dogs and many are being stolen, particularly spaniels. The majority are pedigrees.

"They are dogs that people can make money from. Microchipping is the best way of getting a stolen animal back if it is taken outside the area. But it is also important that every dog has a collar and tag."

Sarah Fry, from Pet ID, added: "Microchipping is irrefutable evidence who owns an animal. It is permanent and eases the stray dogs problem.

"There have been quite a number of thefts in the area. A Jack Russell was stolen from a locked vehicle in Sussex and recovered 18-months later when it was taken into Battersea Dogs Home."

RSPCA officials say microchipping is an excellent idea. One example of the importance of it came after a saluki/greyhound cross was dognapped from her Totton home and dumped on an Oxford couple's drive.

During a check at a city vets, it was discovered the animal had been microchipped. This led to her safe return.

Hants chief RSPCA inspector, Judith Palmer, said: "This shows how beneficial microchipping can be. Every year, we receive thousands of calls from distressed owners whose pets have gone missing.

"At the same time, we have countless animals at our centres which we suspect have perfectly good homes, but because they do not have any permanent ID, tracing their owners is usually impossible.

"It really is the only permanent way of identifying and safeguarding pets for the rest of their life."