How to Pick a Pet Identification Tag for The Flat-Coated Retriever

Choosing a pet ID tag for your Flat-Coated Retriever is like purchasing an insurance policy – you do so with the hopes that you won’t need it. The “possible price” of not having a pet ID tag is more expensive than the “real cost” of purchasing the pet tag itself.

The kind of pet identification tag that you buy is important, so take five minutes or so to consider it. Impulsively choosing a collar tag because it’s low cost or trendy often ends up being a regret, in the long term.

Think about the following before buying any pet id tag for your Flat-Coated Retriever:
1.What is the level of risk to your Flat-Coated Retriever?
Lost Flat-Coated Retrievers are very common – we’ve all come across “Lost Flat-Coated Retriever!” signs setup around the city, or deceased Flat-Coated Retrievers lying along the side of the road. If your Flat-Coated Retriever is a master at breaking through your fence, or cannot resist following a scent, or young and energetic, or isn’t properly trained, the possibility of a missing Flat-Coated Retriever is high.

But losing your Flat-Coated Retriever isn’t the only risk.

Some Flat-Coated Retrievers are stolen. A pet thief may snatch Rover or Spot hoping to get a reward for its return, or to use in dog battles (even small or gentle dogs are susceptible – they can be used for “bait”), or for use in cult rituals.

And what is the risk to your Flat-Coated Retriever if something were to happen to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior adult with a Flat-Coated Retriever, 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 furry friend, perhaps with little notice. And anyone can be hit with a disaster or tragedy which renders you incapable of caring for your Flat-Coated Retriever.

In this case, will your Flat-Coated Retriever’s new or temporary caretaker know that Fido hates cats, or needs medicine, or even whether or not Max is potty trained? A pet ID tag that contains more than your phone number and name would be extremely beneficial.

2.What amount of danger are you comfortable with?
Some Flat-Coated Retrievers are simply more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that pet warrants a specific, more expensive kind of pet ID tag. Risk is directly proportional to value.

Keep in mind that there are many ways to assess the value of your Flat-Coated Retriever. It may be financial (e.g., a purebred Flat-Coated Retriever) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

But for most Flat-Coated Retriever owners, the relationoship attachment they have with their Flat-Coated Retriever determines its value. For many, Flat-Coated Retrievers are like family, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.Based on your answers to the two previous queries, what do you need in a pet ID tag?

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

At a bare minimum, a pet identification tag should contain the phone number, name and address of the Flat-Coated Retriever’s owner in a legible, durable format. Plastic tags are lightweight but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags don’t rust or fade and are durable. These traditional kinds of tags can gotten 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.

Luckily, there are many more options for pet identification tags for your Flat-Coated Retriever these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet id tags.

One of the recent entries in the pet identification game is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your pet’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which holds 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 automatically updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your veterinarian or pet sitter. There are also bluetooth trackers, but their range is low, due to bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Flat-Coated Retrievers

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