Buying a pet identification tag for your Golden Retriever is like buying insurance – you do it with the devout wish that you’ll never need it. The “possible price” of not having a pet ID tag is more costly than the “real price” of buying the pet tag itself.
The type of pet ID tag that you buy is crucial, so take 5 minutes or so to consider it. Impulsively choosing a collar tag because it’s cheap or cute usually ends up being unwise, down the road.
Think about this prior to buying any pet identification tag for your Golden Retriever:
1.What is the level of risk to your Golden Retriever?
Lost Golden Retrievers are certainly common – we’ve all noticed “Lost Golden Retriever!” signs tacked around town, or deceased dogs lying along the side of the road. If your Golden Retriever is a master at tunneling under the fence, or cannot resist tracking a smell, or young and full of energy, or is not correctly trained, the chance of a lost Golden Retriever is high.
But losing your Golden Retriever isn’t the only risk.
Some Golden Retrievers get stolen. A pet thief may steal Fifi or Fido in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in pit battles (even small or gentle dogs are at risk – they can be used as “bait”), or for use in satanic rituals.
And what is the danger to your Golden Retriever if something happens to you, its owner?
If you’re a senior citizen with a Golden Retriever, especially if you live alone or are in poor health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else may need to care for your Golden Retriever, maybe with short notice. And anyone can be hit with a tragedy or disaster which leaves you incapable of caring for your companion.
In this case, will your Golden Retriever’s new or temporary caretaker know that Rover hates cats, or requires medicine, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? A pet ID tag that contains more than your phone number and name would be extremely beneficial.
2.What level of danger are you comfortable with?
Some Golden Retrievers are simply more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that particular animal warrants a specific, higher priced kind of pet ID tag. Risk is proportionate to value.
Note that there is more than one way to determine the value of your Golden Retriever. It may be financial (e.g., a purebred Golden Retriever) or occupational (e.g., a guide dog).
However for most Golden Retriever owners, the companionship attachment they have to their companion sets its value. For many, Golden Retrievers are members of the family, impossible to replace and dearly loved.
3.From your responses to the two previous queries, what do you require of a pet identification tag?
Pet ID tags come in various shapes, sizes and materials and can contain varying amounts of information. Some contain logos or artwork, as well. Usually pet identification tags are designed to be attached to a collar.
At the minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the phone number, name and address of the Golden Retriever’s owner in a durable, legible format. Plastic tags are light but chewed easily. Stainless steel tags are durable and don’t rust or fade. These traditional kinds of tags can gotten from any vet or pet store. They’re economical yet the amount of info they can contain is limited to the size of the tag.
Luckily, there are many more options of pet identification tags for your Golden Retriever these days, such as tattooing, microchipping, digital display tags, voice recorded pet identification tags, and pet registry websites.
One of the newest entrants in the pet ID game is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your Golden Retriever’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which holds 64MB of data (including complete diet and medical information). The tiny USB drive is encased in a sturdy plastic case and can be plugged into any computer, where it is easily updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your vet or pet sitter. There are also bluetooth devices for tracking, but their range is severely limited, because of bluetooth technological limits.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Golden RetrieversWas this post helpful? If so, please take a minute to Tweet and Share below on Facebook. I would also love to know your thoughts so leave me a comment 🙂
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