The Importance of Identifying Your Dog
Life has a funny habit of throwing curveballs at you when you least expect it. Some curveballs are normal and happen for everyone, but there are very special situations that only really apply to pet owners. Dealing with runaway pets is one of them. A runaway pet can happen at any moment for any reason. Maybe your child left the fence open, or maybe Bingo dug a hole under the fence. No matter how it happens, it’s always important to be prepared by making sure your buddy is easily identifiable. If they’re not, you run the risk of never seeing them again. Let’s walk through some identification options.
The Classic
Dog tags will always be a classic, and you should get them as soon as you get a pet. If someone finds your dog, the first thing they’re going to look for is a tag to confirm that they belong to a family and aren’t a stray. Nowadays, you can get a dog tag from anywhere in any style you want. No matter if you choose a pink one, a black one, or a spikey one, always be sure to include basic information. Things like your name, your dog’s name, phone number, address, and any medical/behavioral information should always be included and should be kept up to date. Since you only have 4 or 5 lines to work with, combining the tag with a medical alert collar could help you dedicate space to more important information.
High-tech Solutions
If you’re more of a tech buff, you could invest in a USB dog tag or a tag with a QR code. Both of these remove the space limit of a regular dog tag. You could also invest in a GPS collar that tracks your dog’s location and sends it directly to your phone. Keep in mind that there are a few cons. Firstly, if price is an issue then these are not the way to go, since they can require a monthly fee for cloud space. Secondly, you run the chance of the GPS collar running out of battery, which can happen at any moment. If you want some extra protection, you should combine one of these with a microchip implant.
Get Chipped
Getting your dog microchipped is a great, almost fool-proof way of keeping your buddy identifiable. The implant itself is tiny and gets injected between your dog’s shoulder blades in a quick and painless manner. If your dog gets lost then found, they can be scanned at a vet that will run their serial number through a registry to find your information. That being said, not everyone knows that microchipping is an option. So, if your dog gets found by someone who’s in the dark, having a collar will save them.
No matter which route you take, always make sure to keep your pets’ information updated. If something happens and it’s been years since you last updated their info, then the chances of reuniting with your dog are slimmer than they would be otherwise. Keep them tagged, keep them updated, and keep them safe.