A dog’s pet tag is small and has limited space, especially when you don’t utilise both sides of it.
That is the way with Donna’s tag. One side has a paw print design, the other side is where we engraved our contact details.
Donna’s first pet tag was like this but purple:
We had our initials on it, and our two mobile numbers and that’s pretty much it.
I read with interest that in the US, dogs have multiple tags that include their proof of rabies vaccination and also their registration numbers, etc.
Our laws only require us to have the dog microchipped, since the tag can be lost when the dog is out and about. Nevertheless, we wanted to have our contact numbers on it to make sure that should someone find her, they can return Donna as efficiently as possible without having to go to the vet (cost incurred for the good samaritan?) to have the microchip scanned, or turning Donna in to the AVA or the SPCA. The microchip, for us is really a last resort should the dog tag be lost.
Donna’s current pet tag is a silver disc bordered with blue crystals, similar to this picture (left).
Buy on AmazonI used to hang a bell on her collar, so I know where she is. But the new bells I bought were too loud. So I have her pet tag clicking against a decorative keychain charm instead. Silly, because that clicking knocked a crystal off the tag and also the charm :(
It hadn’t once occurred to me that the dog would have any issue with the dog tag. Donna certainly didn’t. She was always very tolerant of my antics, from the bell to the dog tag. I like hearing where she was in the house, when I’m not in the same room. :P
But it seems that some dogs have a harder time getting used to it than Donna. Our cousin’s dog doesn’t sleep well with it. The clanking keeps waking the light sleeper up. I wonder if this problem is common with other dogs, and what other owners do to help their dogs?
Sliding tags may be a great solution for those who bought flat collars. The great thing about them – unlike hanging tags, they don’t drop off unless the whole collar is pulled off the dog.
Buy on Amazon
– Pictured left: Slide-On Pet ID Tag | Size Large Collar Tag | No Noise | 8 Colors
– These stainless steel ones come in different sizes.
Our Donna, she pretty much sleeps like a log with or without the collar and its attachments. Which is great for us because the martingale collars we have for her do not work with slide-on tags, no better how much I like them. *wry smile*
Queen of Zoom
My dogs tags have their name, my cell phone number, and my husband’s cell phone number. The only one different is Mr B, who has ‘I Am Deaf’ on the back. My dogs only wear their tags when they are outside the house.
pjdonna
Donna wears her collar when we are in the house with her. It makes sense for the dogs to only wear their tags outside the house. For us, the tag and bell are attached to the collar so yes, she wears them in the house too. One, guess we are just too lazy to remove the tag from the collar every time. And two, I shudder to think if I can’t hear where she is in the house as I may not be in time to stop her from mischief. Most recently she went and ate a bit of a hydrangea leaf that she has ignore for the past 3 months! Luckily I heard her on the balcony and went out to check in time so she only had a slight case of poisoning. :( Reminds us not to take for granted that the dog won’t bother something that she has left alone for months! But if we’re out of the house, she doesn’t wear the collar at all, since there is always a potential of the collar catching onto something and becoming a potential choking hazard.
weggieboy
I recognize this is a “dog blog”, but there are tips and issues brought up that make it a good resource for how best to care for a critter pal. My boys forgive me, even though dogs are the only thing that actually scares them! This blog is consistently great, useful (even for a cat companion), and clkearly written by someone who takes animal care as seriously as a commitment of 10, 15, or (with luck!) more years should be taken.
Microchipping is simple and not that expensive compared with the heartbreak of an animal companion lost while on vacation (for example) or by getting loose without his or her collar.
My cats are indoor cats, both microchipped. One finds the idea of leaving the house unimaginable, though he will stand in an open door. The other is an escape artist whose curiousity out-weighs his fear of anything he might encounter outside.
Since I don’t make them wear a collar as inside cats (Persians look choked with collars!), I’d be especially negligent not to have the more secure microchip identification to assure their return if I failed to watch for a break, for example, when I bring groceries in or open the door to receive a package from UPS.
weliveinaflat
Thank you for your thoughts on microchipping! It is invaluable. :)
I am honoured that you think highly of the blog :) And I definitely agree that the microchip, in many cases can become particularly valuable, even critical in ascertaining the identity and true ownership of the cat or dog in question. And as this post focused specifically on dog tags, it may be possible that it downplayed the importance of the microchip somewhat, although that is not the intention.
I do have a post specifically on microchipping on this link – http://weliveinaflat.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/so-what-if-the-dog-is-microchipped/. And the key points were thus:
I laughed at your observation that Persians look choked with collars :P Heaven forbid they should sport that look! :D
In general, I do agree that a non-Persian cat or dog should not be collared unless it is being supervised, e.g. going outdoors for a walk. There are enough stories told of collars getting caught on things and strangling the animals. Though I state in this post that I do keep Donna on a collar at home. In truth, I have long stopped doing that after noticing that the act of taking the collar off started to become a cue to her that the humans are leaving the house without her, which triggers off some level of anxiety for her.
weliveinaflat
Thank you for the reblog :)