Buying a Pet Identification Tag for Your Southern Hound

Choosing a pet ID tag for your Southern Hound is like purchasing an insurance policy – you do so with the hopes that you’ll never use it. The “possible price” of not having a pet ID tag is more expensive than the “actual 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. Whimsically picking a collar tag because it’s inexpensive or cute often proves to be unwise, in the long term.

Consider the following before buying any pet id tag for your Southern Hound:
1.What is the amount of risk to your Southern Hound?
Missing Southern Hounds are definitely common – we’ve all come across “Lost Southern Hound!” signs plastered around town, or deceased Southern Hounds lying on the edge of the road. If your Southern Hound is a pro at escaping your fence, or cannot help following a smell, or young and full of energy, or isn’t well trained, the risk of a missing Southern Hound is high.

But losing your Southern Hound isn’t the only danger.

Some Southern Hounds are stolen. A pet thief may steal Fifi or Fido in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in dog battles (even small or gentle dogs are susceptible – they can be used as “bait”), or for use in religious rituals.

And what is the risk to your Southern Hound if something happens to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior adult with a Southern Hound, especially if you live by yourself or are in poor health, there’s a high chance that at some point someone else may need to care for your Southern Hound, maybe with little notice. And anyone can be struck by disaster or tragedy that renders you unable to care for your companion.

In this instance, will your Southern Hound’s temporary or new caregiver know that Fido hates cats, or requires medication, or even whether or not Max is potty trained? A pet identification that has more than your phone number and name would be extremely helpful.

2.What level of risk are you comfortable with?
Some Southern Hounds are simply more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that pet calls for a specific, more expensive kind of pet ID tag. Risk is proportional to value.

Note that there is more than one way to determine the value of your Southern Hound. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Southern Hound) or occupational (e.g., a guide dog).

But for most Southern Hound owners, the relationoship attachment they have to their companion sets its value. For many owners, Southern Hounds are family, impossible to replace and dearly loved.

3.Based on your responses to the two previous queries, what do you require of a pet ID tag?

Pet identification tags come in varying sizes, shapes and materials and hold varying amounts of info. Some contain artwork or logos, also. Most 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 Southern Hound’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 purchased from any veterinarian or pet store. They’re low cost however the amount of information they can display is limited to the size of the tag.

Luckily, you have many more options in pet identification tags for your Southern Hound these days, such as tattooing, microchipping, digital display tags, voice recorded pet identification tags, and pet registry websites.

One of the most recent entries in the pet identification market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs from your Southern Hound’s collar (or is attached to their cage) and which can hold 64MB of data (including comprehensive diet and medical information). The tiny USB drive is encased in a sturdy plastic case and can be used in any computer, where it is readily updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your veterinarian or pet sitter. There also exist 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 Southern Hounds

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