GARNER — For animal lovers, pets are part of the family. So when one is missing, it can be quite an ordeal. One Wake County family can vouch for that, but their story has a happy ending -- with a twist.

On a farm just outside Garner in Wake County, man's best friend has a woman to love best.

Until two weeks ago, Margie Rhodes' black and white English setter, Raney, had been missing for a year and a half.

"I felt awful," Rhodes says. "I thought either she was dead on the road or someone had picked her up."

As luck would have it, Dr. Elizabeth Cotton, a veterinarian, found Raney. She provided the dog with a high-tech partner, an identification microchip inserted just under Raney's skin.

"As soon as I got the call from Margie Rhodes, I knew she was a good mom," Cotton says.

Cotton's dog, Nimbus, is also a high-tech pooch. He has his own tracking registration number.

"If your dog is lost or injured, every vet has the capability of checking to see if your dog is wearing one, even animal shelters," Cotton says.

All it takes is a special scanner to check if the pet has a chip. The chips provide information about who a pet belongs to as well as medical information.

The procedure costs $35. It costs another $12 for AKC registration.