HANGZHOU, July 21 (Xinhua) -- A total of 36 pet clinics in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, have started to provide free microchip implantation services for pet dogs.

The city management bureau said that the service launched on Thursday aims to manage pet dogs citywide through internet technology.

The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and will be injected underneath the dog's neck skin. Without side effects, the microchip will be used to identify dogs, according to the city management bureau.

The dog's name, dog owner's name, and the owner's contact information are recorded in the chip, but only authorized personnel can scan and access the information.

The chip enables dog owners to trace their lost or stolen pets quickly, as well as help solve sanitation and public security problems and incidents related to dogs.

The move, which comes on the back of public consultation in the form of opinion polls, gained public approval ratings of more than 80 percent.