Microchipping clinic to be offered Aug. 8 in Belle Union

The Humane Society of Putnam County is sponsoring a low-cost microchip clinic for dogs owned by Putnam County residents.

The clinic will be held on Saturday, Aug. 8 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Community Building in Belle Union, located right next to the Jefferson Township Fire Department (8097 E. CR 600 South, Belle Union).

The cost is $10 per dog, payable by cash or check. There is no limit on the number of dogs per family that may be microchipped but the HSPC asks that residents only bring as many dogs as they can handle.

Dog owners should bring proof of their dog's rabies vaccination. Proof can be a current rabies tag or if the dog has a three-year vaccination, a veterinarian's form indicating that the dog is current on its rabies shots will be necessary. All dogs should be on a non-retractable leash.

Reuniting lost or stolen pets with their owners is a high priority for the Humane Society.

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is implanted between your dog's shoulder blades. The microchip is encoded with a one-of-a-kind number which will be registered with 24HourPetWatch's national database. Once a lost pet arrives at an animal shelter or veterinary clinic, a handheld scanner is used to identify the unique number on the implanted microchip and the owner is identified and contacted.

The implantation takes only a few seconds and is relatively painless to the dog. A microchip is not a tracking device or a GPS transmitting device. Animals with microchips cannot be tracked or monitored from a remote location.

For more information on the importance of microchipping, visit the Humane Society of Putnam County website, www.hspcanimals.org.