Buying a Pet ID Tag for The Silken Windhound

Choosing a pet ID tag for your Silken Windhound is like purchasing insurance – you do it with the devout wish that you’ll never use it. The “possible cost” of not having a pet ID tag is more expensive than the “actual cost” of buying the pet tag itself.

The kind of pet ID tag that you buy is crucial, so take 5 minutes or so to consider it. Impulsively buying a collar tag because it’s cheap or pretty often ends up being unwise, in the long term.

Think about this prior to picking any pet identification tag for your Silken Windhound:
1.What is the level of risk to your Silken Windhound?
Missing Silken Windhounds are definitely common – we have all come across “Lost Silken Windhound!” signs posted around town, or deceased dogs lying along the side of the road. If your Silken Windhound is a master at breaking through the fence, or cannot help tracking a smell, or youthful and vigorous, or isn’t well trained, the chance of a lost Silken Windhound is high.

But losing your Silken Windhound isn’t the only danger.

Sometimes Silken Windhounds are stolen. A pet thief may take Rover or Fido hoping to get a reward for its return, or to use in dog fights (even small or gentle dogs are susceptible – they can be used as “bait”), or for use in cult rituals.

And what is the danger to your Silken Windhound if something happens to you, the owner?

If you’re a senior citizen with a Silken Windhound, particularly if you live by yourself or are in ill health, there’s a high chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your furry friend, maybe with little notice. And anyone can be hit with a disaster or tragedy that leaves you incapable of caring for your Silken Windhound.

In this case, will your Silken Windhound’s new or temporary caretaker know that Spot hates cats, or requires medication, 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 risk are you comfortable with?
Some Silken Windhounds are just more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that particular animal demands a specific, more expensive type of pet ID tag. Risk is proportional to value.

Note that there are multiple ways to assess the value of your Silken Windhound. It may be financial (e.g., a purebred Silken Windhound) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

However for most Silken Windhound owners, the relationoship attachment they have to their Silken Windhound sets its value. For many owners, Silken Windhounds are family, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.From your answers to the two previous queries, what do you require of a pet ID tag?

Pet ID tags come in various materials, shapes and sizes and hold varying amounts of info. Some contain artwork or logos, too. Usually pet ID tags are designed to be attached to a collar.

At a minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the phone number, name and address of the Silken Windhound’s owner in a durable, legible format. Plastic tags are lightweight but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags don’t rust or fade and are durable. These traditional kinds of tags can purchased from any vet or pet store. They’re low cost yet the amount of info they hold is limited to the size of the tag.

Fortunately, there are many more options for pet ID tags for your Silken Windhound these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet id tags.

One of the recent entrants in the pet ID market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your Silken Windhound’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which holds 64MB of data (including complete diet and medical information). The small USB drive is encased in a sturdy plastic case and can be used in any computer, where it is easily updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your vet or pet sitter. There also exist bluetooth trackers, but their range is limited, due to bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Silken Windhounds

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