Losing a pet is traumatic. We know that. We also know the statistics are pretty grim. Based on an ASPCA survey*, of dogs that get lost, the recovery rate is nearly 50%, but if that dog is wearing an ID tag, that number rises to almost 70%. But without ID, if a pet is found and turned in at a shelter, the chance of the owner recovering the dog is 6%. You read that right: six percent.

In many areas, pets are required to carry identification -- and it's always a good idea even if it isn't the law. The classic anodized metal pet tag is a tried-and-true method for tagging your pet, but many retailers don't deliver on truly functional ID. Most in-store tags allow a maximum of two or three lines, so many characters per line. By the time you have a name and a phone number on there, you're probably out of room as far as the computer in the store says. The result is that big-box store tag has less information on it than the average phone book entry. That might be good enough, assuming that you only use one phone number and don't feel the need to have your address on your pet.  

As you may have guessed, we feel differently on the subject. Our basic pet tag includes unlimited text on a single side - we won't charge you for adding a second (or third) phone number along with your address. You can say exactly what you want to say. (One of our clients actually wrote a short letter from the pet to whomever is reading the tag.) All included in the base price.

That's not all, though! Unlike most providers, we also offer second-side engraving with a variety of services to aid your pet's return. You can include more basic text, such as "Reward for return" or any other message (or duplicating the front side for redundancy if you like). We also offer Vet Alert text so that your pet carries his or her own vet contact information, saving vital time in an emergency and preventing mistakes like not knowing about necessary medical treatment or allergies. We also offer engraved QR codes: these matrix-type 2D barcodes can contain text or enable automatic functions when scanned: your pet's tag can contain a QR code to automatically send you a text e-mail when scanned, autodial your phone number, or even to e-mail GPS coordinates from the scanning device.**

Providing your pet with appropriate ID can help prevent loss and heartache for you and your family -- and your pet. Please let us help prevent that.

As an aside: You might be thinking "Hey, my pet's micro-chipped. I don't need this." Well, we might have an unpleasant surprise for you there. It turns out that micro-chipping companies don't talk to one another, and registry into the national microchip database isn't necessarily done when you buy your service; some providers do complete national registry, some don't. When you realize that the scan of a microchip only provides a serial number and not contact information, that presents a problem: without knowing which microchip service issued the chip, the information on the chip is meaningless. This is why we often recommend including the name of your pet's microchipping company on your tag. (We also stridently recommend - regardless of whether you decide to get a tag from us - that you ensure your pet's registered in the microhip database. It can save you a lot of heartache.)