Buying a pet ID tag for your Puli is like purchasing an insurance policy – 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 ID tag that you buy is crucial, so take 5 minutes or so to think it through. Impulsively choosing a collar tag just because it’s inexpensive or pretty often proves to be unwise, in the long term.
Consider the following prior to choosing any pet id tag for your Puli:
1.What is the amount of risk to your Puli?
Missing Pulis are very common – we’ve all seen “Lost Puli!” signs setup around the city, or dead dogs lying on the side of the road. If your Puli is a pro at escaping the fence, or can’t help following a smell, or young and vigorous, or is not correctly trained, the risk of a lost Puli is high.
But losing your Puli isn’t the only risk.
Some Pulis get stolen. A pet thief may steal Rover or Fido hoping to get a reward for its return, or to use in dog 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 Puli if something happens to you, its owner?
If you’re a senior citizen with a Puli, especially if you live by yourself or are in poor health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else may need to care for your furry friend, maybe with little notice. And anyone can be hit with a disaster or tragedy that renders you unable to care for your Puli.
In this instance, will your Puli’s temporary or new caregiver know that Spot hates cats, or requires 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 helpful.
2.What level of danger are you ok with?
Some Pulis are simply more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that pet warrants a specific, more expensive kind of pet ID tag. Risk is directly proportional to value.
Note that there are several ways to assess the value of your Puli. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Puli) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).
But for most Puli owners, the emotional attachment they have to their companion sets its value. For many, Pulis are members of the family, impossible to replace and dearly loved.
3.From your answers to the two previous questions, what do you require of a pet identification tag?
Pet ID tags come in varying shapes, sizes and materials and can contain varying amounts of info. Some contain artwork or logos, too. Most pet identification tags are designed to be attached to a collar.
At a bare minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the phone number, name and address of the Puli’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 customary kinds of tags can purchased from any vet or pet store. They’re cheap however the amount of information they can display is limited to the size of the tag.
Luckily, you have many more options of pet ID tags for your Puli these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet identification tags.
One of the recent entries in the pet identification market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs off your Puli’s collar (or is attached to their kennel) and which holds 64MB of data (including complete 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 readily updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your vet or pet sitter. There also exist bluetooth trackers, but their range is low, due to bluetooth technological limits.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about PulisWas 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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