About 65,000 Shanghai dogs have been implanted with digital ID chips to assist in dog identification and prevent the spread of rabies.
The chips contain a unique ID number that can be used to access information including the dog's breed, sex, color, owner's address and a photo of the canine, reported Xinhua, China's official news agency.
Wang You, developer of the chip, said the devices were aimed at making pets easier to identify.
"We began testing digital chip implants -- under the skin of the dog's left ear -- in 2001, and rolled the method out citywide in 2004," he said.
City dogs are given the chips and vaccinated against rabies at the time of their registration and the device's condition is checked annually.
The country's Ministry of Health has said China, which is home to 150 million pet dogs, is second only to India in reported cases of rabies.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
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