What Do I Put On My Dog’s ID Tag?
What’s The Most Important Information to Have On Your Dog’s ID Tag?
Equipping your dog with a highly readable, sturdy, id tag is your first line of defense in your precious pet’s recovery. With so little space and so much important stuff to put in it, what’s the smartest and most necessary information to help your dog get back home if found by strangers? Well, the question varies somewhat with the lifestyle you and your dog lead along with the setting or settings in which you live.
Avoid using up the real estate on a tag with cutesy sayings like “Help, I’m lost”, “Call my Mommy”, or “My name is …”. Useless information crowds the letters and makes everything else on the tag smaller and harder to read. Also, know that using all capital letters will require more room, thus making the letters smaller (less readable) to fit on their lines. Use upper and lower case letters for optimum readability.
Name
Typically id tags begin with a dog’s name. Knowing a dog’s name can help a stranger keep your dog in close proximity when initially found. 90% of dog owners use the first line of a dog’s tag for his or her dog’s name. Owners wary of dog stealing in their locale leave off names. Consider this if you are aware of such issues taking place where you live.
Phone numbers
Phone numbers are next in order of placement. Land lines and cell phone numbers are both great. If you are out looking for your dog and someone calls your cell phone, you’ll know the dog has been found instantly! Messages left on your land line may not be discovered until you return home. Make sure your phone numbers are easily readable by using hyphens or dots to separate the numbers.
Address
Next, consider your address. Include a house number and street before you think about trying to fit the town and state. Abbreviate when possible. There is no need to use a zip code if you have listed your town and state. However, if your town and state has too many letters, you may elect to just use your zip code.
Microchips
Microchip information, including numbers, may be important to you. ” Microchip” or “Microchip#” followed by the number on the next line are both good. This is definitely a personal call. Remember that microchips must be scanned by a vet and will take longer and considerable more time to identify you as the dog’s owner. Strangers finding your dog need to have an easy reunite with you. They should not be expected to have to hunt you down, driving around the county or neighborhood for a scan to find you. The longer your dog is away from you, the more likely and prone they may be to accidents or injury.
Medical
Also, consider the medical needs of your dog if he or she has any. “Needs Meds” is a common line. “Service Dog” can be listed as well.
Getting your dog home safely and quickly is the number one goal of any dog id tag. Provide good samaritans with the easiest, most readable information you can and you will be on the road to a speedy recovery and a most happy day when your beloved friend returns home.
