How to Pick a Pet ID Tag for The Maremma Sheepdog

Choosing a pet ID tag for your Maremma Sheepdog is like buying insurance – you do it with the devout wish that you’ll never 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 important, so take 5 minutes or so to think it through. Impulsively picking a collar tag because it’s low cost or cute usually ends up being unwise, in the long term.

Consider the following before buying any pet identification tag for your Maremma Sheepdog:
1.What is the amount of risk to your Maremma Sheepdog?
Missing Maremma Sheepdogs are certainly common – we have all come across “Lost Dog!” signs setup around town, or dead Maremma Sheepdogs lying along the edge of the road. If your Maremma Sheepdog is a pro at escaping your fence, or cannot help chasing a scent, or youthful and vigorous, or is not well trained, the chance of a missing Maremma Sheepdog is high.

But losing your Maremma Sheepdog isn’t the only possibility.

Some Maremma Sheepdogs get stolen. A pet thief may steal Fido or Fifi in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in pit fights (even small or gentle dogs are susceptible – they can be used as “bait”), or for use in religious rituals.

And what is the risk to your Maremma Sheepdog if something happens to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior citizen with a Maremma Sheepdog, particularly if you live alone or are in ill health, there’s a high chance that at some point someone else will need to care for your Maremma Sheepdog, perhaps with little notice. And anyone can be hit with a disaster or tragedy that leaves you incapable of caring for your Maremma Sheepdog.

In this instance, will your Maremma Sheepdog’s temporary or new caregiver know that Rover hates cats, or needs medication, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? A pet ID tag that has more than your phone number and name would be extremely beneficial.

2.What level of danger are you ok with?
Some Maremma Sheepdogs are simply more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that pet calls for a specific, higher priced kind of pet identification tag. Risk is directly proportional to value.

Keep in mind that there is more than one way to determine the value of your Maremma Sheepdog. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Maremma Sheepdog) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

However for most Maremma Sheepdog owners, the emotional attachment they have to their companion determines its value. For many, Maremma Sheepdogs are members of the family, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

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

Pet ID tags come in varying materials, shapes and sizes and hold varying amounts of info. Some contain artwork or logos, also. Many pet ID tags are designed to be attached to a collar.

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

Fortunately, there are many more options for pet ID tags for your Maremma Sheepdog 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 ID game is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your pet’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which can hold 64MB of data (including comprehensive diet and medical information). The tiny USB drive is encased in a sturdy plastic case and can be used in 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 devices for tracking, but their range is limited, because of bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Maremma Sheepdogs

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