Choosing a Pet Identification Tag for Your Pug

Buying a pet identification tag for your Pug is like purchasing insurance – you do it with the faith that you’ll never use it. The “possible cost” of not having a pet ID tag is more expensive than the “actual price” of buying the pet tag itself.

The type of pet identification tag that you buy is crucial, so take 5 minutes or so to consider it. Impulsively purchasing a collar tag just because it’s low cost or cute usually proves to be unwise, long-term.

Consider this before purchasing any pet id tag for your Pug:
1.What is the level of risk to your Pug?
Lost Pugs are certainly common – we’ve all come across “Lost Pug!” signs tacked around the city, or deceased Pugs lying on the edge of the road. If your Pug is a pro at escaping the fence, or cannot help chasing a scent, or youthful and full of energy, or isn’t well trained, the chance of a lost Pug is high.

But losing your Pug isn’t the only danger.

Some Pugs are stolen. A pet thief may snatch 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 for “bait”), or for use in religious rituals.

And what is the danger to your Pug if something happens to you, the owner?

If you’re a senior adult with a Pug, particularly if you live by yourself or are in ill health, there’s a high chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your Pug, perhaps with short notice. And anyone can be hit with a tragedy or disaster that renders you unable to care for your companion.

In this instance, will your Pug’s temporary or new caretaker know that Spot hates cats, or needs medicine, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? A pet ID tag that contains more than your name and phone number would be very helpful.

2.What level of risk are you ok with?
Some Pugs are just more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that particular animal calls for a specific, more expensive kind of pet ID tag. Risk is proportional to value.

Realize that there is more than one way to determine the value of your Pug. It may be financial (e.g., a purebred Pug) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

However for most Pug owners, the relationoship attachment they have with their Pug determines its value. For many owners, Pugs are members of the family, impossible to replace and dearly loved.

3.Based on your answers to the two previous questions, what do you require of a pet ID tag?

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

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

Luckily, there are many more options in pet identification tags for your Pug these days, such as tattooing, microchipping, digital display tags, voice recorded pet id tags, and pet registry websites.

One of the newer entries in the pet identification market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs from your Pug’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which can hold 64MB of data (including complete diet and medical information). The small USB drive is encased in a sturdy plastic case and can be used in 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 trackers, but their range is severely limited, due to bluetooth technological limits.

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

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