If your dog happens to get lost, it’s important that your pet can be identified. There are a variety of ways to do that — collar, tag, tattoo — but one of the most effective ways is to have your dog or cat microchipped.

A pet microchip is a small device implanted under the dog’s skin that when scanned, contains a unique code that identifies the pet and owner. It is a permanent method of identification used to reunite lost pets with their owners.

However, the key to making sure the microchip is effective is to keep it up to date, according to Jalene Oberloh, of Adams County Pet Rescue.

“We have had dogs come in and all the information on their chips was out of date,” Oberloh said. “It took a year to find the owners for one of the dogs.”

Oberloh said the process is simple and quick. It is also relatively painless, similar to getting a shot. It is also fairly inexpensive and can be done at any veterinary clinic or animal shelter.

“We charge a $35 fee to do that,” Oberloh said. “All our dogs here are microchipped before adoption.”

The chip itself is relatively small — about the size of a grain of rice. A needle is used to inject the microchip between the skin and muscle, where it floats around freely. Neither the pet nor the owner can feel it.

Oberloh is the adoption coordinator at ACPR. She was a vet tech for three years in Utah before returning to Othello a month ago.

“I wanted to come home,” she said.

The microchips keep track of the owner’s address and phone numbers and are easy to keep updated. Oberloh said you can do that at any shelter or there is an online site (www.24petwatch.com) where it can be done by the pet’s owner.

To identify the animal, a scanner is used to access the pet’s identification number and its owner. From there, the owner can be contacted and the pet returned to its home.

“That is why it is so important to keep the information up to date,” Oberloh said.

And with all dogs at ACPR microchipped, when their adoption is finalized, they are scanned and the information is updated with the new owner’s information.

“It’s pretty basic,” Oberloh said.

Adams County Pet Rescue is located at 1961 Bench Road east of the fairgrounds. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The facility is closed Mondays and Thursdays for cleaning.

To contact ACPR, call (509) 488-5514 or email adopt@AdamsCountyPetRescue. Be sure to visit the website at www.adamscountypetrescue.com and like their Facebook page.