Heaton's Hot Dog Gets Chipped...

Marilyn Monroe may have added weight to the old adage: diamonds ARE a girl's best friend. But ever since they invented diamante studded canine collars, now dogs ARE a girl's new best friend. And when Paris Hilton invented dogs that fit easily into a handbag, soon every celeb had a pooch to match their personality. But watch out, those valuable pets can and will get plundered by dog-nappers...

Michelle Heaton & Cody

A large group of Irish and UK celebs gathered at the DSPCA shelter in Rathfarnham yesterday with their most valued possessions - their o so cuuuute doggies. It was all in the name of getting a hi-tech electronic micro-chip inserted into their pampered pets - an incentive all dog owners should sign up to.

Michelle Heaton, Hugh Hanley & Cody

It may sound futuristic and tres cruel, but in fact getting your waggily-tailed best friend micro-chipped is thee responsible thing to do should your wow-wow stray or even get dog-napped! If only they could get a chip to stop them pooing on the feckin' rug. Hmmmmm.

Tara Sinnott & Honey

Yup. Apparently dog-napping is the latest thing dodgy Fagan-esque shady characters like to get up to. And it all came to prominence recently when Celebrity Booking Agent Tara Sinnott had her adorable Honey stolen in Knocklyon’s Dodder Valley Park, only to have her returned after a vigilant vet discovered the micro-chip embedded under puppy's skin... Dog-nappers should get life!

Gerard McCarthy & Honey

And no sooner was Honey back in Tara's arms - she was whipped away again... This time by Hollyoaks hunk Gerard McCarthy. But don't label him as a dog-napper just yet folks; he was merely borrowing the brown eyed gal for a few photos. After much persuading he eventually handed her back...

Suzanne McCabe with Harley & Rocco

That's right. A number of well known faces were on hand yesterday to announce that the Dublin SPCA is hosting a Micro-chipping Day at their shelter on Mount Venus Road this Saturday from 10am to 5pm. It's only 12 Euro per pet or FREE if you become a DSPCA member...

Nicky O'Callaghan, Suzanne McCabe

Amongst the celebrities at the Rathfarnham launch yesterday was Irish model Suzanne McCabe. Strict vegetarian Suzanne has been named as the face of PETA in Ireland and has even stripped off completely to support their 'I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur' campaign. Ooooo, we look forward to seeing those photos. Ahem.

Glenda Gilson & Molly

Other celebbos with their pooches yesterday included Xpose presenter Glenda Gilson, Clinic actress Leigh Arnold, UK star Michelle Heaton & her fella Hugh Hanley, model Pippa O'Connor, Fair City's Nathan Gordan, and The Apprentice's Nicky O'Callaghan...

Leigh Arnold & Jack

Here's the techie bit: Micro-chipping is permanent ID for your pet. It is a small computer chip that is implanted under the skin - the procedure is like a simple vaccination. Each chip contains a unique number. When your pet is scanned with a chip reader, that number will appear and your details can then be tracked on a computer database.

Pippa O'Connor & Lily

The Dublin SPCA has already received 585 reports of dogs missing or stolen in Dublin this year. Many dogs illegally taken are resold around the country or exported to the UK. So, if your dog is micro-chipped, you can prevent this from happening...

Nathan Gordan

There you have it folks, take your doggie out to the DSPCA tomorrow and GET IT CHIPPED. You might even bump into a few famous faces out there... We did!

(B) Glenda Gilson, Leigh Arnold, Gerard McCarthy, Tara Sinnott, Nicky O'Callaghan (F) Pippa O'Connor, Suzanne McCabe, Michelle Heaton