How to Buy a Pet ID Tag for Your Scottish Terrier

Picking a pet identification tag for your Scottish Terrier is like buying insurance – you do so with the hopes that you’ll never use it. The “possible price” of not having a pet ID tag is more costly than the “actual price” of purchasing the pet tag itself.

The type of pet ID tag that you buy is vital, so take 5 minutes or so to think it through. Whimsically buying a collar tag because it’s low cost or trendy usually ends up being foolish, long-term.

Consider the following prior to purchasing any pet identification tag for your Scottish Terrier:
1.What is the level of risk to your Scottish Terrier?
Lost Scottish Terriers are definitely common – we have all come across “Lost Dog!” signs tacked around the city, or deceased Scottish Terriers lying on the edge of the road. If your Scottish Terrier is a master at breaking through your fence, or cannot resist following a smell, or young and vigorous, or is not well trained, the risk of a missing Scottish Terrier is high.

But losing your Scottish Terrier isn’t the only concern.

Some Scottish Terriers get stolen. A pet thief may steal Rover or Spot in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in dog fights (even small or gentle dogs are at risk – they can be used for “bait”), or for use in cult rituals.

And what is the risk to your Scottish Terrier if something were to happen to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior citizen with a Scottish Terrier, especially 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 Scottish Terrier, maybe with short notice. And anyone can be struck by tragedy or disaster that leaves you incapable of caring for your companion.

In this instance, will your Scottish Terrier’s temporary or new steward know that Fido hates cats, or requires medication, or even whether or not Max is potty trained? A pet identification that contains more than your phone number and name would be extremely beneficial.

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

Note that there are several ways to assess the value of your Scottish Terrier. It may be financial (e.g., a purebred Scottish Terrier) or occupational (e.g., a guide dog).

But for most Scottish Terrier owners, the relationoship attachment they have to their Scottish Terrier determines its value. For many, Scottish Terriers are family, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.Based on your responses to the two previous queries, what do you require of a pet ID 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 meant to be attached to a collar.

At a minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the phone number, name and address of the Scottish Terrier’s owner in a durable, legible format. Plastic tags are lightweight but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags are durable and don’t rust or fade. These traditional kinds of tags can purchased from any vet or pet store. They’re economical however the amount of info they can contain is limited to the size of the tag.

Fortunately, there are many more options of pet identification tags for your Scottish Terrier 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 identification market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your Scottish Terrier’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which holds 64MB of data (including complete 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 vet or pet sitter. There also exist bluetooth trackers, but their range is small, because of bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Scottish Terriers

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