THE number of stray dogs in the North-west rose by 11 per cent last year. More than 16,000 dogs were recovered from the region's streets, said the Dogs Trust.

David Wright, its North-west campaigns manager, believes many dogs go missing as a result of people moving and not changing the details in their pet's microchip.

"If these dogs had been microchipped with the correct contact details, the figures could have been much lower," he said.