How to Choose a Pet Identification Tag for Your East-European Shepherd

Picking a pet ID tag for your East-European Shepherd is like buying an insurance policy – you do so with the hopes that you’ll never need it. The “possible price” of not having a pet ID tag is more costly than the “real cost” of purchasing the pet tag itself.

The type of pet identification tag that you buy is important, so take five minutes or so to consider it. Whimsically picking a collar tag because it’s cheap or cute often proves to be a regret, down the road.

Consider this prior to buying any pet identification tag for your East-European Shepherd:
1.What is the level of risk to your East-European Shepherd?
Lost East-European Shepherds are very common – we have all come across “Lost Dog!” signs setup around town, or dead East-European Shepherds lying on the edge of the road. If your East-European Shepherd is a master at escaping your fence, or cannot help chasing a smell, or youthful and full of energy, or is not properly trained, the risk of a missing East-European Shepherd is high.

But losing your East-European Shepherd isn’t the only danger.

Some East-European Shepherds get stolen. A pet thief may snatch Fifi or Spot in hopes of getting 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 religious rituals.

And what is the risk to your East-European Shepherd if something happens to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior citizen with a East-European Shepherd, particularly if you live by yourself or are in ill health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your East-European Shepherd, perhaps with little notice. And anyone can be hit with a disaster or tragedy which renders you incapable of caring for your companion.

In this instance, will your East-European Shepherd’s new or temporary steward 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 name and phone number would be extremely helpful.

2.What amount of risk are you comfortable with?
Some East-European Shepherds are just more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that particular animal warrants a specific, more expensive type of pet ID tag. Risk is proportionate to value.

Realize that there are many ways to assess the value of your East-European Shepherd. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred East-European Shepherd) or occupational (e.g., a guide dog).

But for most East-European Shepherd owners, the relationoship attachment they have with their companion determines its value. For many, East-European Shepherds are members of the family, impossible to replace and dearly loved.

3.Using your responses to the two previous questions, what do you require of a pet ID tag?

Pet identification tags come in various materials, shapes and sizes and can contain varying amounts of info. Some contain logos or artwork, too. Usually pet identification tags are designed to be hung from a collar.

At a minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the name, address and phone number of the East-European Shepherd’s owner in a legible, durable format. Plastic tags are light but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags are durable and don’t rust or fade. These traditional types of tags can purchased from any veterinarian or pet store. They’re cheap yet the amount of info they can display is limited to the size of the tag.

Luckily, you have many more options of pet identification tags for your East-European Shepherd 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 ID game is the high-tech USB drive that hangs from your pet’s collar (or is attached to their cage) 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 readily updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your animal doctor or pet sitter. There also exist bluetooth devices for tracking, but their range is severely limited, due to bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about East-European Shepherds

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