Let's Talk About Tags!
With the approaching holiday and plenty of questions, I think it’s time to talk about how we tag our pups for the worst case scenario. People are setting fireworks off earlier and earlier every year and I’m having to be more vigilant a week before and also after. We make sure the dogs are wearing their collars during the day, and once it gets dark, they don’t go in the yard by themselves. The night of 4th of July, we leash walk as extra security. While we use precautions year round, statistics show that July 5th is the busiest day of the year for U.S. animal shelters. Mark Jakubczak, Certified Pet Detective and Founder, PetAmberAlert™ said,
“Sadly, only 14% of lost pets are returned to their owners, according to nationwide statistics. And worse, 30-60% of lost pets are euthanized because they cannot be properly identified and returned to their owners.”
As a pet parent, it is my top priority to make sure my pets are safe and with me. I might have a crazy amount of forms of identification for my dogs but I just want them to have every opportunity to come home to me if something was to happen.
Each of our dogs have a locking carabiner with their tags on them. We have a regular tag with their name and phone number, their Home Again tag with their microchip number and their rabies tag with their vet name on it.
One of our favorite tags is the Road ID pet ID. It is attached to two elastic bands that can slide on your pup's collar or harness. There's no annoying jingle with this tag and you can fit 5 lines of info on the small tag and 6 on the med/large tag.
Another great tag is the Tile Sport. We love this tag for Nessa because she isn't microchipped yet. ID tags are a great tool to find your way home but the Tile allows you to live track your dog with Bluetooth. You can also use the Tile community to find your lost dog.
The newest tracking device we have been trying out is the Fi Collar. This collar works like a Fitbit for your dog tracking their steps and walks. You can create safe zones that alert you when your dog has left the boundary.
We’ve listed our pros and cons below and we’ll do another blog post with updates on how it’s working out for us!
Pros
You can track your dog live and have access to the 24/7 help center if your dog is lost
It is a new product so they are constantly updating and adding new features. We just got an email about a light feature where you can assign your dog one of 7 colors and turn the light on when out on a walk.
Quality hardware and collar webbing
Cons
There are only 2 collar color options and the device can not be put on your current collar
We’ve emailed about some issues we’ve had with the maps and tracking walks/steps while Jack is in the car
Also, like most tracking collars, you need to pay for a yearly subscription to have the live feature.
Tell us how you protect your dogs in case they get lost!
Products in this Post
Ruffwear Crag Collar This collar has reflective webbing and is made of super quality material. Each of our dogs has one in their respective colors.
Nite Ize S-Biner TagLock Carabiner Found on Chewy.com
Custom Name Tag This little Etsy shop is run by a dad and his sons. Super quick turn around and a great price!
Home Again Microchip Tag They have so many options of tags but the one I like our dogs to have is the base model that comes with their microchip. While following many lost and found sites, I’ve noticed that the bright little yellow house can be seen from far away and helps people realize your dog has a home to go back to.
Road ID Pet ID Multiple lines of information, cannot be put on slip items (ex. our martingale collars slip over the dogs heads they do not have openings)
Hurtta Casual Harness This harness fits the Bostons like a glove, is reflective, and is made of quality materials.
Tile Sport Waterproof and durable
Bright Martingale Dog Collar Great for dogs that walk on a loose leash, can’t slip this collar
Fi Collar Quality hardware and collar webbing, live tracking