Buying a pet ID tag for your Briard is like buying an insurance policy – you do so 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 cost” of buying the pet tag itself.
The type of pet identification tag that you buy is important, so take five minutes or so to consider it. Impulsively buying a collar tag because it’s cheap or trendy usually proves to be unwise, in the long term.
Consider the following before picking any pet id tag for your Briard:
1.What is the amount of risk to your Briard?
Lost Briards are definitely common – we have all seen “Lost Briard!” signs tacked around town, or deceased Briards lying on the edge of the road. If your Briard is a master at jumping the fence, or cannot resist following a scent, or young and spry, or is not properly trained, the risk of a lost Briard is high.
But losing your Briard isn’t the only concern.
Some Briards get stolen. A pet thief may steal Fifi or Spot in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in pit fights (even small or gentle dogs are at risk – they can be used as “bait”), or for use in cult rituals.
And what is the risk to your Briard if something happens to you, the owner?
If you’re a senior citizen with a Briard, particularly if you live by yourself or are in poor health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your Briard, perhaps with short notice. And anyone can be struck by tragedy or disaster that renders you unable to care for your Briard.
In this case, will your Briard’s temporary or new steward know that Spot hates cats, or needs medication, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? A pet ID tag that contains more than your name and phone number would be extremely helpful.
2.What level of danger are you ok with?
Some Briards are simply more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that particular animal calls for a specific, higher priced type of pet ID tag. Risk is directly proportional to value.
Note that there is more than one way to determine the value of your Briard. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Briard) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).
However for most Briard owners, the sentimental attachment they have to their Briard determines its value. For many owners, Briards 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 identification tag?
Pet ID tags come in varying shapes, sizes and materials and can contain varying amounts of information. Some contain logos or artwork, as well. Many pet identification tags are meant to be attached to a collar.
At the minimum, a pet identification tag should contain the phone number, name and address of the Briard’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 veterinarian or pet store. They’re inexpensive however the amount of information they hold is limited to the size of the tag.
Luckily, you have many more options of pet ID tags for your Briard these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet id tags.
One of the newest entrants in the pet identification market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs from your pet’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which holds 64MB of data (including complete 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 animal doctor 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 BriardsWas 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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