Never underestimate the importance of dog tags when it comes to keeping your best friend out of the shelter after a mischievous little romp around the neighborhood.
I really couldn’t get over the $48 charge on our credit card. After all, you can get dog tags at any large chain store like Walmart or PetSmart for about $5. But we had one of those weak moments where we saw something unique that could make our pups stand out just a little bit. They were exceptional dog tags, completely customized, and looked very sharp against the new collars that added another $30 to the bill. Despite the fact that we had fallen for the commercialization of cute little numbers for our dogs, there was still no disputing the importance of dog tags.
Despite being very conscientious humans, there’s no denying that things sometimes happen beyond your control, or should have been within your control, but a bad moment cost you the whereabouts of your pet. I couldn’t imagine losing our dogs, but it had happened to me once. Someone simply forgot to lock the gate behind them, and I spent hours searching for my German Shepherd in a city that regarded the breed as highly unfriendly. I was more afraid that someone would shoot him out of their own misguided fear than anything.
The dogs we have now might not face the same prejudices, but one of our guys is completely blind. Although he does quite well for a moderately disabled pup, he does require a gentle hand. Without it, his fear overtakes him and he retreats into his own world of self-comfort. Dog tags would, at the very least, alert someone to his blindness and let them know where he came from.
Dog tags can provide a wealth of information about your pet in the event that they are lost and wandering alone (or perhaps not lost, but just decided they were responsible enough to take themselves for a walk). The first thing people think of when they notice a dog that looks lost or unattended is to check for dog tags.
Dogs without tags are 98% more likely to end up in a shelter when they’re lost than dogs with tags. Dogs without tags are rarely kept by the humans who find them anymore. Once upon a time, people used to find dogs and decide to keep them until the owner could be located. A lot of dogs went through the re-adoption phase this way. But in our litigious and often petty society, people are now more afraid of being accused of animal theft than they are concerned about the dog’s welfare. Thus, without a phone number or an address to re-deliver the pooch, the shelter becomes the next best option.
The Importance of Dog Tags: Keeping Your Pet Safe and Out of Shelters
Never underestimate the importance of dog tags when it comes to keeping your best friend out of the shelter after a mischievous little romp around the neighborhood. Even with a chip to help the dog locate his human, the absence of dog tags often means your dog will spend at least some time in the shelter, if not a couple of days. While shelters do some amazing work, they can also be traumatic for some dogs. Unfortunately, dogs with locator chips haven’t always been fortunate enough to return from the shelter.
Locator chips are designed to help track down their owners in the event that a dog is lost, stolen, or runs away. However, the chip needs to be working properly, found, and used correctly in order to safely return the dog to his human. In the vast majority of cases, they work exactly as intended. However, just like anything that relies on mechanical and computerized systems, glitches can occur, causing what should be a simple process to fail. Without the assistance of a dog tag, there have been too many documented cases of dogs with locator chips being either adopted out or, worse, euthanized. Technology is amazing, but only when it’s fully functioning.
When compared to dog tags, locator chips are only more effective when used with complete accuracy. Out of every 100 locator chips tested that were over three years old, 2 ultimately failed to relay the necessary information to find the dog’s owner. There have been ample issues, including the high cost of implanting a locator chip, making them less reliable than good old-fashioned dog tags. Many veterinarians recommend installing a second chip, but that can cause financial hardship due to the high cost of veterinarian bills. Even our overpriced puppy bling is a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of a locator chip. And of course, we don’t need to anesthetize the dog before slipping his new dog tags around his neck.
Even with today’s more advanced, technology-driven society, something as simple as a dog tag makes it easy to return a lost dog. There are few hassles when the dog’s name, their human’s phone number or address, and any pertinent information (such as blindness) is written right there in plain view for anyone who simply bothers to glance at it. It’s not a stretch to say that the importance of dog tags is equal to the value of your dog’s safety, health, and freedom to wait eagerly for you to come home—even if it’s from behind that brand new gate you finally fixed.
