Choosing a Pet Identification Tag for The Italian Greyhound

Choosing a pet ID tag for your Italian Greyhound is like purchasing insurance – you do it with the faith that you won’t use it. The “possible cost” of not having a pet ID tag is more costly than the “actual cost” of purchasing the pet tag itself.

The kind of pet ID tag that you buy is crucial, so take 5 minutes or so to think it through. Impulsively choosing a collar tag just because it’s cheap or trendy often ends up being foolish, down the road.

Consider this prior to choosing any pet identification tag for your Italian Greyhound:
1.What is the level of risk to your Italian Greyhound?
Lost Italian Greyhounds are very common – we’ve all seen “Lost Dog!” signs posted around the city, or dead dogs lying on the edge of the road. If your Italian Greyhound is a pro at tunneling under the fence, or can’t resist following a smell, or young and energetic, or isn’t correctly trained, the possibility of a missing Italian Greyhound is high.

But losing your Italian Greyhound isn’t the only risk.

Some Italian Greyhounds get stolen. A pet thief may snatch Fifi or Spot hoping to get a reward for its return, or to use in pit battles (even small or gentle dogs are susceptible – they can be used for “bait”), or for use in religious rituals.

And what is the danger to your Italian Greyhound if something were to happen to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior adult with a Italian Greyhound, particularly if you live by yourself or are in poor health, there’s a high chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your Italian Greyhound, maybe with little notice. And anyone can be hit with a tragedy or disaster that leaves you unable to care for your Italian Greyhound.

In this case, will your Italian Greyhound’s temporary or new steward know that Fifi hates cats, or requires medication, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? A pet ID tag that contains more than your phone number and name would be very helpful.

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

Keep in mind that there are multiple ways to calculate the value of your Italian Greyhound. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Italian Greyhound) or occupational (e.g., a guide dog).

However for most Italian Greyhound owners, the sentimental attachment they have with their companion sets its value. For many, Italian Greyhounds are members of the family, impossible to replace and dearly loved.

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

Pet ID tags come in varying shapes, sizes and materials and hold varying amounts of info. Some have artwork or logos, as well. Usually pet ID tags are designed to be hung from a collar.

At a bare minimum, a pet identification tag should contain the address, phone number and name of the Italian Greyhound’s owner in a legible, durable format. Plastic tags are lightweight 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 economical but the amount of info they can contain is limited to the size of the tag.

Luckily, you have many more options in pet identification tags for your Italian Greyhound these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet id tags.

One of the most recent entrants in the pet identification game is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your Italian Greyhound’s collar (or is attached to their cage) and which can hold 64MB of data (including comprehensive medical and diet information). The small USB drive is encased in a sturdy polymer case and can be plugged into any computer, where it is easily updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your animal doctor or pet sitter. There also exist bluetooth trackers, but their range is limited, due to bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Italian Greyhounds

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