O'ahu veterinary clinics have teamed up with the Hawaiian Humane Society to provide $5 microchip IDs for cats and dogs in August. Participating veterinarians will waive other fees.

"Pet collars and tags are a good way to help identify your pet, but they can easily come off before a lost pet is brought to the Humane Society," said the group's president and CEO, Pamela Burns. "Microchips dramatically improve the chances that lost pets will be reunited with their owners."

The humane society returned more than 4,000 lost pets to their homes last year. An estimated 330,000 cats and dogs have owners on O'ahu.

For a list of participating veterinarians or more on pet identification and lost and found services, call the group at 356-2290 or visit www.hawaiianhumane.org.

Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and are injected under the skin between an animal's shoulder blades in a process is similar to a vaccination. Each microchip has an individual code that can be read with a hand-held scanner.

Lost cats and dogs turned in are scanned for their unique code, which will identify the owner in the group's database. Pets with a microchip or other ID are held longer (minimum nine days) before being made eligible for adoption than pets without (minimum 48 hours).

Keeping microchip records updated is also important, so pet owners who have moved, changed phone numbers or acquired a previously owned pet need to contact the society to update their records. Forms are available at all participating veterinary clinics and the humane society.

"Animals leap, slide and climb out of their home or yard and out of their collars," says Burns. "Fortunately, microchip identification technology reduces the anxiety when a pet is lost and expedites reunions."

Tips to help reunite lost pets and their owners: