Choosing a pet ID tag for your Dalmatian is like buying insurance – you do so with the faith that you won’t need it. The “possible price” of not having a pet ID tag is more costly than the “real price” of buying the pet tag itself.
The kind of pet identification tag that you buy is crucial, so take 5 minutes or so to think it through. Impulsively purchasing a collar tag just because it’s low cost or pretty usually proves to be unwise, down the road.
Think about this before purchasing any pet identification tag for your Dalmatian:
1.What is the level of risk to your Dalmatian?
Lost Dalmatians are very common – we have all come across “Lost Dalmatian!” signs tacked around the city, or dead dogs lying by the edge of the road. If your Dalmatian is a master at hopping your fence, or can’t resist tracking a smell, or youthful and spry, or isn’t correctly trained, the possibility of a missing Dalmatian is high.
But losing your Dalmatian isn’t the only possibility.
Some Dalmatians get stolen. A pet thief may steal Fifi or Spot hoping to get a reward for its return, or to use in pit battles (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 Dalmatian if something happens to you, its owner?
If you’re a senior citizen with a Dalmatian, particularly if you live alone or are in ill health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else may need to care for your Dalmatian, maybe with short notice. And anyone can be struck by tragedy or disaster that leaves you unable to care for your companion.
In this instance, will your Dalmatian’s temporary or new caretaker know that Fido hates cats, or needs medicine, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? A pet ID tag that has more than your phone number and name would be very helpful.
2.What level of danger are you ok with?
Some Dalmatians are simply more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that pet warrants a specific, more expensive kind of pet identification tag. Risk is proportional to value.
Note that there are multiple ways to calculate the value of your Dalmatian. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Dalmatian) or occupational (e.g., a guide dog).
But for most Dalmatian owners, the sentimental attachment they have with their Dalmatian determines its value. For many, Dalmatians are family members, impossible to replace and dearly loved.
3.Based on your responses to the two previous queries, what do you need in a pet identification tag?
Pet ID tags come in various shapes, sizes and materials and hold varying amounts of info. Some contain artwork or logos, also. Usually pet identification tags are meant to be hung from a collar.
At the minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the address, phone number and name of the Dalmatian’s owner in a durable, legible format. Plastic tags are light but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags don’t rust or fade and are durable. These traditional types of tags can gotten from any veterinarian or pet store. They’re cheap yet the amount of info they hold is limited to the size of the tag.
Fortunately, you have many more options of pet ID tags for your Dalmatian these days, such as tattooing, microchipping, digital display tags, voice recorded pet id tags, and pet registry websites.
One of the most recent entrants in the pet identification game is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your Dalmatian’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which can hold 64MB of data (including complete medical and diet information). The tiny USB drive is encased in a sturdy plastic case and can be used in any computer, where it is automatically updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your vet or pet sitter. There also exist bluetooth devices for tracking, but their range is limited, because of bluetooth technological limits.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about DalmatiansWas 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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