Choosing a Pet Identification Tag for The St. John’s Water Dog

Choosing a pet ID tag for your St. John’s Water Dog is like purchasing insurance – you do so with the hopes that you won’t use it. The “possible cost” of not having a pet ID tag is more expensive than the “actual cost” of buying the pet tag itself.

The kind of pet ID tag that you buy is crucial, so take five minutes or so to think it through. Whimsically buying a collar tag because it’s cheap or pretty usually proves to be unwise, down the road.

Think about this before picking any pet id tag for your St. John’s Water Dog:
1.What is the amount of risk to your St. John’s Water Dog?
Missing St. John’s Water Dogs are certainly common – we’ve all come across “Lost Dog!” signs tacked around town, or deceased dogs lying on the edge of the road. If your St. John’s Water Dog is a pro at jumping the fence, or cannot resist chasing a scent, or youthful and spry, or is not well trained, the chance of a lost St. John’s Water Dog is high.

But losing your St. John’s Water Dog isn’t the only danger.

Some St. John’s Water Dogs are stolen. A pet thief may steal Fifi or Spot hoping to get 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 danger to your St. John’s Water Dog if something happens to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior citizen with a St. John’s Water Dog, 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 furry friend, perhaps with short notice. And anyone can be struck by tragedy or disaster that leaves you incapable of caring for your St. John’s Water Dog.

In this instance, will your St. John’s Water Dog’s temporary or new caregiver know that Spot hates cats, or needs 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 beneficial.

2.What amount of danger are you ok with?
Some St. John’s Water Dogs are simply more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that pet demands a specific, higher priced kind of pet ID tag. Risk is directly proportional to value.

Realize that there are several ways to calculate the value of your St. John’s Water Dog. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred St. John’s Water Dog) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

However for most St. John’s Water Dog owners, the sentimental attachment they have with their St. John’s Water Dog determines its value. For many, St. John’s Water Dogs are like family, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.Based on your answers to the two previous questions, what do you need in a pet identification tag?

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

At a minimum, a pet identification tag should contain the address, phone number and name of the St. John’s Water Dog’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 customary kinds of tags can bought from any vet or pet store. They’re cheap however the amount of info they hold is limited to the size of the tag.

Luckily, you have many more options for pet ID tags for your St. John’s Water Dog these days, such as tattooing, microchipping, digital display tags, voice recorded pet identification tags, and pet registry websites.

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 diet and medical 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 are also bluetooth trackers, but their range is small, due to bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about St. John’s Water Dogs

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