Don’t lose your dog! Why our pets need dog id tags

Few things are worse for a pet owner than a runaway dog. Even more terrifying than that is a runway dog that can’t be found. America’s kennels house millions of dogs per year, many of which are runaways. With the help of microchipping and pet identification tags, some of these dogs can be returned to their rightful owners and homes, but not before the owners suffer emotional stress and have to pay a fee to retrieve their dog from the shelter.

Video: Don't Lose Your Pet--Get a Micro-chip!

The risk of losing your loved one is certainly the main reason why your dog needs a pet ID tag, but it isn’t the only one. Having an ID tag on your dog’s collar at all times is beneficial to you, your pet, and anyone that may come across them while they’re lost.

As pet owners, we take responsibility for our dogs and do everything we can to protect them and care for them responsibly. Equipping canines with a dog ID tag is a cheap and easy way to do just that.

In 2012 there was a first published national study on lost pets conducted by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the results are surprising. According to the study [1]…

Only 6% of dog owners and 2% of cat owners found their lost pets at shelters.

Sadly, many of those runaway animals were never found, and the ones that were found were either tracked down by the owners themselves or located by a good Samaritan. If your dog ran away or somehow got lost, and a stranger has found her, how would they know who to return her to?If she isn’t wearing any kind of identification with your contact information, she will likely end up being dropped off at a shelter or taken in by another family.

If your dog runs away, the most important thing to do is to stay calm.

Dogs run away very often and they do so for many different of reasons- it isn’t necessarily something you should take personally. Your Fido might be bored, or lonely, or curious. If you have an outgoing dog, she might want to see if there are other dogs she can play with. It isn’t a sign that you’re a bad owner—unfortunately, dogs just run away- it happens.

Why our pets need dog ID tags?

Simply put, finding a runaway dog can be made a thousand times easier if you put a pet ID tag on her. A similar study done by the National Council for Pet Population (now SAWA) reports that only 15-20% of lost dogs are returned to their owners [2].

This study doesn’t reflect a population unwilling to help pet owners. It indicates that people don’t identify their dogs properly, making them impossible to be returned.

In addition, HumaneSociety.org [3] provides the number on adoption of the same lost pets, and it’s not pretty:

Video: GetPetsHome.com - QR code Pet Tags

Video: Pet ID Tags: Custom Unique Pet Dog Tags by 1cutepooch.com

An estimated 2.7 million healthy shelter pets are not adopted each year, and only about 30 percent of pets in homes come from shelters or rescues.

There’s no question that pets get lost, and that not all of them are returned. This is the primary reason why all canines should wear pet ID tags.

In order to make those dog ID tags useful, you need to include all the information that someone would need to contact you. It’s important that you keep this data updated at all times. Unlike most other dog supplies, pet identification tags aren’t expensive and they are easily replaced. You can purchase them through countless online retailers and at most pet stores. Grab a few just so you have it whenever you need them.

Dog owners who love to keep their pets in style have a variety of options to choose from.

Video: Dog Tag Art ID Tags in 22 Seconds (HD)

Top 5 best selling dog ID tags on Amazon:

• 8 Shapes & Colors
• Stainless Steel Pet Id Tags
• Anodized Pet ID Tags
• Slide-On Pet ID Tags
• Round Pet ID Tags

Quick tip: Buy more than one tag and keep them current. If your information changes, be sure to update your dog’s tags.

Names and phone numbers aren’t the only information that you should put on a dog ID tag. Think about what you would want a stranger to know about your pup. If you left her in the care of a new person, what are the first few things you would tell them? That’s the kind of important information that must be included on your dog’s identification tags.

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