MISHAWAKA, Ind. --The Humane Society of St. Joseph County is hosting a Free Microchip Clinic for dogs and cats this weekend and encouraging pet owners to take advantage of technology. 

"The event is free of charge, but a $10 donation per pet is encouraged for those who are able to give," organizers said. "Microchips will be implanted on a first-come, first-served basis using 24PetWatch microchips, and supplies are limited."

The event is from 10 a.m. to noon on April 19. The Humane Society of St. Joseph County is located at 2506 Grape Rd. in Mishawaka. Pre-registration is highly encouraged.

Pet handling requirements:

• Dogs must be on a leash with a secure collar/harness or in a humane carrier.
• Cats must be in a secure, humane carrier.
• Pets prone to stress or reactivity should be muzzled or remain in their carrier/vehicle until called.
• Safety first: Please follow volunteer instructions to ensure a calm environment for all.

FAQs from PetKey:

• How Does Pet Microchipping Work?

Dog and cat microchipping is a simple procedure that can be performed at your veterinarian's office. Pet microchips are very small, roughly the size of a grain of rice and are inserted just beneath your pet's skin between their shoulder blades.

Inserting the microchip is quick and safe similar to a routine shot. Pet Microchips are not a GPS Tracking Device. A pet microchip uses a radio frequency known as RFID to transmit the ID number stored on the microchip to the scanning device that reads the pet's unique number and displays it.

Pet Microchips do not require a power source like a GPS (Global Positioning Device) so there are never any batteries to replace or charge. Since there are no moving parts or mechanics a microchip will last your pet's entire lifetime.

For more information on the importance of registering your pet's microchip AVMA, American Veterinary Medical Association provided this pod cast of an interview with Dr. Linda Lord, an associate professor at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Lord has conducted research showing how effective microchips are in reunited pets with their owners.

• Why do I have to register my pet's microchip?

Once inserted a pet's microchip is merely just a device that contains a unique number. For your personal security and your pet's protection your emergency contact information must be linked to that unique identifier via a secure database.

It is important to register this unique microchip number with your contact information so that you can be reached immediately 24 hours a day if your pet is lost or found. When a missing pet is found, the shelter, vet or other recovering organization will scan the pet with a specialized pet microchip scanner to determine if a microchip is present. If the scanner detects the presence of a microchip, it will display only the unique microchip number on the read out. If that unique identifier is registered in a participating database, the facility scanning your lost pet will be able to determine that the pet is registered to a pet owner and call to inform you that your pet has been found.

All microchips registered with Petkey will be listed in the AAHA Universal Pet Microchip Lookup Tool.