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One hundred pet hospitals in Futian, Longgang, Longhua and Luohu districts as well as Dapeng New Area have been given permission to offer free microchipping for dogs that have already been registered in the city.

Free microchipping will be available at pet hospitals in other districts by the middle of August, according to the urban management authority.

Residents can take their dogs to the 100 authorized sites with dog vaccination certificates for free microchipping. Related information will be recorded on the certificate after injection.

An activity was held yesterday morning at Jingmi Community Park in Futian, where veterinarians from designated pet hospitals were invited to offer free microchipping for registered dogs living nearby.

Vets use a chip-reading gadget on a pet dog at Jingmi Community Park in Futian District yesterday.Sun Yuchen

A dog owner surnamed Yang successfully had her pet microchipped on site.

“I was notified by my community about the event. I am very supportive of the microchipping because I think it is good for both dog owners and others. I have no worries about the chip because I know this is a very mature technology which has been applied in many countries like Germany. This benefits society,” said Yang.

Shenzhen began implanting free microchips in all registered dogs on this year’s “Love Your Pet Dog Day” on May 29.

All dogs are encouraged to be microchipped by September, as any pet dog found without a microchip will be treated as unlicensed starting in October.

Punishments will be issued to anyone raising unchipped dogs starting November, according to the urban management bureau.

The microchips purchased by the city are from the world’s most advanced brands, including PETCARE and Datamars.

The microchip, about the size of a grain of rice, will be effective for 15 years from injection and presents no harm to the dog’s health, according to vets.

Reservations for dog microchipping are now available through the WeChat account “mlszgzh.”