Buying a Pet ID Tag for The English Cocker Spaniel

Picking a pet identification tag for your English Cocker Spaniel is like purchasing insurance – you do so with the hopes that you’ll never need it. The “possible price” of not having a pet ID tag is more expensive than the “actual cost” of buying the pet tag itself.

The kind of pet identification tag that you buy is important, so take 5 minutes or so to consider it. Whimsically picking a collar tag just because it’s low cost or pretty usually ends up being a regret, in the long term.

Consider the following prior to purchasing any pet id tag for your English Cocker Spaniel:
1.What is the level of risk to your English Cocker Spaniel?
Lost English Cocker Spaniels are certainly common – we’ve all seen “Lost Dog!” signs setup around town, or dead English Cocker Spaniels lying along the side of the road. If your English Cocker Spaniel is a pro at jumping your fence, or can’t help tracking a scent, or youthful and energetic, or is not well trained, the possibility of a missing English Cocker Spaniel is high.

But losing your English Cocker Spaniel isn’t the only danger.

Sometimes English Cocker Spaniels are stolen. A pet thief may steal Fifi or Spot hoping to get a reward for its return, or to use in pit battles (even small or gentle dogs are at risk – they can be used for “bait”), or for use in cult rituals.

And what is the risk to your English Cocker Spaniel if something were to happen to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior citizen with a English Cocker Spaniel, especially if you live by yourself or are in ill health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else may need to care for your English Cocker Spaniel, perhaps with short notice. And anyone can be hit with a tragedy or disaster that leaves you incapable of caring for your companion.

In this case, will your English Cocker Spaniel’s new or temporary caregiver know that Spot hates cats, or needs medicine, or even whether or not Max is potty trained? A pet ID tag that has more than your name and phone number would be extremely helpful.

2.What amount of danger are you comfortable with?
Some English Cocker Spaniels are just more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that particular animal warrants a specific, higher priced kind of pet ID tag. Risk is proportionate to value.

Realize that there are multiple ways to assess the value of your English Cocker Spaniel. It may be financial (e.g., a purebred English Cocker Spaniel) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

But for most English Cocker Spaniel owners, the relationoship attachment they have with their English Cocker Spaniel sets its value. For many, English Cocker Spaniels are like family, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.From your responses to the two previous questions, what do you need in a pet identification tag?

Pet identification tags come in various shapes, sizes and materials and can contain varying amounts of information. Some contain logos or artwork, too. Many pet identification tags are designed to be attached to a collar.

At a minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the name, address and phone number of the English Cocker Spaniel’s owner in a legible, durable format. Plastic tags are lightweight but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags don’t rust or fade and are durable. These customary types of tags can bought from any animal doctor or pet store. They’re low cost yet the amount of info they can contain is limited to the size of the tag.

Luckily, there are many more options of pet ID tags for your English Cocker Spaniel these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet id tags.

One of the most recent entries in the pet identification game is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your English Cocker Spaniel’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which can hold 64MB of data (including complete diet and medical information). The tiny USB drive is encased in a sturdy polymer case and can be used in any computer, where it is automatically updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your veterinarian or pet sitter. There are also bluetooth devices for tracking, but their range is limited, due to bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about English Cocker Spaniels

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