Choosing a Pet ID Tag for Your Bullmastiff

Buying a pet identification tag for your Bullmastiff is like buying insurance – you do so with the faith that you’re never going to need it. The “possible price” of not having a pet ID tag is more costly than the “actual price” 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. Whimsically choosing a collar tag just because it’s inexpensive or pretty often ends up being unwise, in the long term.

Think about this before picking any pet identification tag for your Bullmastiff:
1.What is the amount of risk to your Bullmastiff?
Lost Bullmastiffs are very common – we have all seen “Lost Bullmastiff!” signs tacked around town, or dead Bullmastiffs lying along the edge of the road. If your Bullmastiff is a pro at hopping the fence, or can’t resist tracking a scent, or youthful and energetic, or isn’t properly trained, the chance of a missing Bullmastiff is high.

But losing your Bullmastiff isn’t the only possibility.

Some Bullmastiffs are stolen. A pet thief may steal Rover or Fido in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in pit 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 Bullmastiff if something happens to you, the owner?

If you’re a senior adult with a Bullmastiff, especially if you live by yourself or are in ill health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your furry friend, perhaps with little notice. And anyone can be struck by tragedy or disaster that renders you incapable of caring for your companion.

In this case, will your Bullmastiff’s temporary or new caregiver 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 very beneficial.

2.What amount of risk are you ok with?
Some Bullmastiffs are simply more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that pet calls for a specific, higher priced type of pet ID tag. Risk is proportional to value.

Note that there are multiple ways to assess the value of your Bullmastiff. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Bullmastiff) or occupational (e.g., a guide dog).

However for most Bullmastiff owners, the sentimental attachment they have to their Bullmastiff determines its value. For many, Bullmastiffs are members of the family, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.Using your responses to the two previous queries, what do you need in a pet ID tag?

Pet identification tags come in varying materials, shapes and sizes and can contain varying amounts of information. Some contain artwork or logos, as well. Many pet ID tags are meant to be hung from a collar.

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

Luckily, there are many more options for pet identification tags for your Bullmastiff 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 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 medical and diet information). The tiny USB drive is encased in a sturdy plastic case and can be plugged into 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, due to bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Bullmastiffs

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