Modern technology met furry flesh Saturday afternoon as folks lined up at Oak Harbor Safeway to have a rice-sized microchip inserted into their pets.

Sponsored by Safeway and the Avid corporation, the program, which ran from 2 to 5 p.m., offered pet owners the chance to have a veterinarian inject a FriendChip identification device into their dogs for a reduced fee of $20.

The chip allows shelters, vets and other animal agencies that are entered into an Avid database to identify lost pets by running an electronic scanner over their bodies. Each chip is permanent and carries a specific identification number.

By 3 p.m., about 40 of the 50 available chips had been purchased, Safeway employee Cliff Powers said. “It’s getting better and better every year,” he said, adding that $5 of the fee goes as a donation to Citizens for Off-Leash Areas. This is the third year Safeway has sponsored the program.

Anacortes vet Roger Williams was responsible for inserting the chips with a hypodermic needle, which appeared to give only scant discomfort to the canines. Williams shot the chips which are encased in glass right into the skin at the dogs’ shoulder blades. It only takes a second or two. He said the procedure is well worth the trouble, as it gives pet owners a safety net in case their dogs go missing.

“It’s a good idea,” he said. “The more you talk about it, the more people come out and get it.”

Of course, the dogs didn’t care if it was a good idea or not, though most sat silently for the brief procedure — all except for Buddy, an 8-week old Dachshund, who let out a yippy-Ouch! when the needle hit. He recovered quickly, ministered to by a collection of cooing admirers.

Pettrac is the name of the global database that holds the identification numbers of all pets outfitted with microchips. Nearly any type of pet can be chipped: cats, birds, snakes, iguanas, even fish (though it’s hard to imagine where a tetra might escape to). The recovery system has received the backing of Veterinary Medical Associations throughout the U.S. When a lost dog that has been inserted with a chip is found, participating shelters call a hotline in order to check a lost pet database. The owner is then notified.

More than 17,000 microchip scanners have been distributed to animal agencies around the country.

Lake Stevens resident Anita Gilson said she wanted Kiwi, her miniature Dachshund/Chihuahua mix, to get fitted with a chip in case the dog ever jumps out when she stops her car.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Gilson said. “We travel a lot, and she goes everywhere with us.”

“It’s so cheap,” Oak Harbor resident and owner of Buddy, Cherry Tryon said. She said the microchips just make sense.