Choosing a Pet ID Tag for Your American Foxhound

Buying a pet ID tag for your American Foxhound is like purchasing an insurance policy – you do it with the faith that you’ll never use it. The “possible cost” of not having a pet ID tag is more costly than the “real price” of purchasing the pet tag itself.

The kind of pet identification tag that you buy is important, so take 5 minutes or so to consider it. Impulsively picking a collar tag because it’s low cost or trendy often ends up being a regret, long-term.

Think about this before choosing any pet identification tag for your American Foxhound:
1.What is the level of risk to your American Foxhound?
Missing American Foxhounds are very common – we have all noticed “Lost Dog!” signs posted around the city, or dead dogs lying by the side of the road. If your American Foxhound is a pro at escaping your fence, or cannot help tracking a scent, or young and full of energy, or is not correctly trained, the risk of a lost American Foxhound is high.

But losing your American Foxhound isn’t the only danger.

Some American Foxhounds get stolen. A pet thief may snatch Fifi or Fido hoping to get a reward for its return, or to use in dog fights (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 American Foxhound if something were to happen to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior adult with a American Foxhound, especially if you live alone or are in ill health, there’s a high chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your American Foxhound, maybe with little notice. And anyone can be hit with a disaster or tragedy which leaves you incapable of caring for your American Foxhound.

In this instance, will your American Foxhound’s new or temporary caretaker know that Fifi hates cats, or requires medicine, or even whether or not Max is potty trained? A pet identification that contains more than your phone number and name would be very helpful.

2.What level of risk are you comfortable with?
Some American Foxhounds are just more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that pet warrants a specific, more expensive type of pet identification tag. Risk is proportionate to value.

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

But for most American Foxhound owners, the relationoship attachment they have with their American Foxhound sets its value. For many, American Foxhounds are family members, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

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

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

At a bare minimum, a pet identification tag should contain the phone number, name and address of the American Foxhound’s owner in a legible, durable format. Plastic tags are light but chewed easily. Stainless steel tags don’t rust or fade and are durable. These traditional kinds of tags can gotten from any vet or pet store. They’re economical however the amount of info they can contain is limited to the size of the tag.

Fortunately, you have many more options in pet identification tags for your American Foxhound these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet identification tags.

One of the most recent entries in the pet ID game is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your pet’s collar (or is attached to their cage) and which holds 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 automatically 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 American Foxhounds

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