What info do you put on your dog's ID tag?

[herdcentral]

I just have my contact phone numbers on my tags. I wasnt keen on putting their names on because my BC is so friendly especially if you know her name. They are also microchipped

[Brandon M]

My dogs have their name, my name, and my cellphone number. And on the back they have the Vets number. My boss is also my vet and would know who's dog it is if they get lost.

[bc4pack]

Boomerang tags w/

 

Dog name

My cell

DH's cell

 

Only one of mine would be 'easily' approached by a stranger if loose....

[Bo Peep]

Mine have just :

Reward

Cell phone #

 

Usher would live with anyone that knew his name.

I like the idea of having micro chipped on there. Usher also has my cell phone # tattooed on his thigh.

[mjk05]

Ours just have phone numbers (mobile and home) and my parents' city address, because that's where they are most likely to get lost, and if they are lost in that area the local council rangers will usually return them straight home. If they're lost at a trial far from home, the phone number is most important.

 

We don't have names on the tags, because we transfer tags between dogs depending on who is travelling, but most of them are microchipped.

 

They're also tattooed, which is pretty obvious if the dog rolls over, so the overkill alone ought to help finders get the dog back to me.

Interested in this, because we're thinking about tattooing for the first time now. Do you use groin tatts by preference? Most tattoos here are ear tatts, and I can't read the ones on our dogs.

[Laurae]

Interested in this, because we're thinking about tattooing for the first time now. Do you use groin tatts by preference? Most tattoos here are ear tatts, and I can't read the ones on our dogs.

 

The idea behind tattooing the inner thigh is that, unlike an ear, it can't be cut off by thieves. Cutting off ears is probably not very likely, but it's so horrifying to think about that better safe than sorry.

[mjk05]

So are they easier to read?

[C Crocker]

[ I figure letting the finder know there's a reward for the dog is more important than letting them know the dog's name (or perhaps folks will just think the dog's name is Reward!)

 

J.

 

 

I have my full name, address, phone number and REWARD on collar. No dog's name. I take my dogs to work and a child read her collar one day and started calling Bet by my name Carolyn. I thought it was cute. I guess this kid thought this dog had a first and last name!

 

Carolyn

[RaisingRiver]

All my dogs have a circle tag w/ a paw print on one side and their name and my cell phone on the other. And all but the puppy have a boomerang collar slide that has their name, cell & house phone and city license # (puppy hasn't been issued license yet) - I used all four lines avail.

 

I like both sets of tags because the hang tag calls attention they are someone's dog and I bet there's folks out there that wouldn't know to look on the collar itself (plus 2 of my dogs it isn't super obvious they have collars on at all) and the slide on the collar so if the hang tag somehow comes off. I use rolled leather collars, so stitching etc isn't an option.

 

I figure my cell phone is basically enough. If my dogs are missing, I'm not going to NOT know about it and I can be out looking for them w/ my cell phone in hand should they be found and I'm called while I'm out. I think the addy is unnecessary.

 

All my dogs are chipped, but I don't bother putting the chip tag on it because they have the other tags that serve the ID purpose - to me the chip is another backup. I also don't put on rabies tag - county number proves they have shots - plus I or the county can provide proof when asked. I also HATE jingle even though I know there's covers and stuff. It just seems like a whole lot of excess and more circles to get caught on stuff.

 

Of note, all my dogs would approach someone who was friendly enough - so I'm not worried about no one getting close enough to read the tags.

 

Having REWARD would be interesting, but I figure if someone's only going to give my dog back if there's a reward, then they going to ask me for one and don't need to be told there will be one. Which I probably would give them one if they were bold enough to ask. Though I'm sure REWARD tells people you definitely want your dog back - though isn't that why you put collars on in the first place? I one thing I don't understand is why people don't put collars on their dogs - when at leisure (not a dog who might be in constant use where a collar could be unsafe). I dunno, call me paranoid. I got a boomerang slide for my neighbor's BC cuz he kept loosing his hang tag w/ the split ring like 3 times so they left it off, and I didn't want them to loose him

[bc4pack]

So are they easier to read?

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

On the whole, yes, but folks have to know to look for them.

Folks don't look in ears as a norm, but a dog's belly/ thigh is easier to see.

[Angie H]

I didn't used to put my street address on my dogs' tags.

 

Two weeks ago, I was on my way to an appointment out of state. Two dogs ran out in front of me on a back road. I picked them up - of course!

 

I called the phone number and got an answering machine. I decided to plug their address into my GPS to see where they live. It wasn't too far out of my way, so I drove to the house and found their owner outside.

 

For that reason, I now put my address on my dogs' tags..in addition to my home phone, cell phone, Dog's name, and the back reads "If I'm alone, I am LOST!"

[Tranquilis]

Thank you - I now have an excuse for buying a GPS reciever!

[juliepoudrier]

Interested in this, because we're thinking about tattooing for the first time now. Do you use groin tatts by preference? Most tattoos here are ear tatts, and I can't read the ones on our dogs.

MJK,

This has already pretty much been answered, but my reasons for the groin are two-fold--it's easier to see and read than in the ear (all of my dogs' are still readable, some 5+ years later) and second because ears can be cut off. While the latter is not likely to happen, it has in the past (most notably with racing greyhounds being killed and dumped with all ID/evidence of ownership removed) and I live in a state that allows (or used to, don't know if they still do) dogs at pounds to be sold for research, so I wanted as many easily identifiable forms of ownership as possible on my dogs (a tattoo in an ear can be missed, but you'd have to practically be blind to miss the tattoo in the groin). I used to live in a very rural part of the state where you couldn't even assume that the local AC had a chip reader, so I was basically trying to cover all bases.

 

Raising River,

On the one occasion where I've gotten to test the "reward" theory, the person refused the monetary reward, but I ended up getting them a very nice gift basket from A Southern Season. We've heard plenty of stories right on this forum of dogs found in near or far neighbors' garages or yards, etc. Someone who finds a nice looking, well-behaved dog may well choose not to return it, so I figure by making it clear that a reward is available I'm upping the chances that anyone who finds one of my dogs would do the right thing. Heck, if I ever lost a dog and someone found it, I'd automatically offer them a reward anyway, not wait for them to ask, so I figure I may as well increase the odds in favor of the dog being returned to me by making it plain that a reward will be offered.

 

As for hang tags, I don't use them because they get caught on things (and lost) and they tend to make noise, which disturbs livestock. If any of my dogs makes it into someone else's hands, all the ID on them should be hard to miss, and I figure if the person is close enough to read a hang tag (except maybe those giant ones) then they are close enough to see a collar with a nameplate or boomerang tag too.

 

J.

[Tranquilis]

We've heard plenty of stories right on this forum of dogs found in near or far neighbors' garages or yards, etc. Someone who finds a nice looking, well-behaved dog may well choose not to return it...

Or, alternately, someone finds a dog they *want* to return, but can't find the owner... Any and all methods, to be sure the owner is found. Y'all may remember the Dragon Clan and Little Miss Nameless from the Rescue Forum - A tattoo would've helped immensely - Then the Dragons could've played a different kind of angel, or at least found out if the owner were really interested in a return. Little Miss Nameless is such a good dog, I sometimes wonder if there's a heart-broken family out there, or if there's some monumental jerk, instead. A tattoo would've answered that question.

 

Also - Collars can be slipped. Chips can migrate and be missed, or sometimes there's no reader, or the wrong kind of reader. Tattoos stay.

[juliepoudrier]

Tranquilis,

I think the biggest problem with tattoos is the lack of a good central tattoo registry. Lots of folks know about microchips, but probably a lot fewer know how to track down a dog via a tattoo. I wish the ABCA required tattooing as part of registration like the CBCA does in Canada. A registration linked to a tattoo should make it much easier (though I'm sure there are exceptions) to find a dog's owner, assuming the registrations transfers have been made as a dog has been sold....

 

J.

[Tranquilis]

Even if the transfers *hadn't* been made correctly, it'll still give a starting point in the chain of ownership. I'm not particularly familliar with the ABCA registration process, but don't they issue a registration number? If so, then just a simple line like "ABCA Registration number XXXX" should give a starting point in the search. Nothing will ever *force* people to look for a dog's owner, but giving those who are so minded every opportunity to succeed seems reasonable to me. *shrug* I tend to be belt-n-suspenders about some things. YMMV.

[mbc1963]

I always put "REWARD" on the tags, because of the fear of people who will pick up loose dogs and bring them to an unscrupulous place that buys dogs. (Think: medical experimentation.) That's the reason advice for rehoming includes demanding an adoption fee - to discourage people who don't want dogs for pets, but for whatever money they can get.

 

If I'm an ignorant dog-catching money-grubber, I figure I'll call the owner in hopes that the reward I'll get from HER will be greater than whatever the nefarious laboratory pays for dogs.

 

I weighed in my brain early on what kind of money I'd give someone who took care of my dog and got him back for me. I decided I'd toss out $100 if the dog were only missing for an hour or so, and in the local area, but a lot more if someone went to a lot of effort to find out where he belongs. Like maybe $500. Strange to have to put a price on that, eh?

 

Mary

[Quill]

I think it's a good idea to always put "needs medications" on the tag regardless of the health of your dog. Laboratories can't always use sick dogs, and people generally won't want to keep a stray dog that would require the extra expense, no matter how nice it is.

 

 

I like the Loose = Lost line. I'll have to use that for our new dog.

[haleigh]

we do:

dog name- IAMLOVED REWARD

phone number

needs meds

 

the dogs also have the microchip tag, rabies tag, and a separate tag with vet name and number

[Guest SweetJordan]

Mine also have "REWARD!!!" on them.

Joining in on this thread late, but I recently added "reward" to all new tags as well.