Picking a Pet ID Tag for Your Irish Water Spaniel

Buying a pet identification tag for your Irish Water Spaniel is like purchasing 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 expensive than the “real price” of buying the pet tag itself.

The kind of pet identification tag that you buy is vital, so take 5 minutes or so to consider it. Impulsively buying a collar tag just because it’s inexpensive or cute often ends up being foolish, in the long term.

Think about the following before choosing any pet identification tag for your Irish Water Spaniel:
1.What is the level of risk to your Irish Water Spaniel?
Lost Irish Water Spaniels are certainly common – we’ve all noticed “Lost Dog!” signs tacked around town, or deceased dogs lying along the side of the road. If your Irish Water Spaniel is a pro at escaping the fence, or cannot help following a smell, or young and full of energy, or isn’t well trained, the risk of a missing Irish Water Spaniel is high.

But losing your Irish Water Spaniel isn’t the only concern.

Sometimes Irish Water Spaniels get stolen. A pet thief may snatch Spot or Rover in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in dog fights (even small or gentle dogs are at risk – they can be used as “bait”), or for use in satanic rituals.

And what is the risk to your Irish Water Spaniel if something were to happen to you, its owner?

If you’re a senior citizen with a Irish Water Spaniel, particularly if you live by yourself or are in ill health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else may need to care for your Irish Water Spaniel, perhaps with little notice. And anyone can be struck by disaster or tragedy that leaves you unable to care for your companion.

In this case, will your Irish Water Spaniel’s new or temporary caretaker know that Spot hates cats, or needs medicine, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? 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 Irish Water Spaniels are just more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that pet warrants a specific, more expensive kind of pet identification tag. Risk is proportionate to value.

Note that there is more than one way to assess the value of your Irish Water Spaniel. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Irish Water Spaniel) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

However for most Irish Water Spaniel owners, the relationoship attachment they have to their companion determines its value. For many owners, Irish Water Spaniels are like family, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.Using your answers to the two previous questions, what do you need in a pet ID tag?

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

At a bare minimum, a pet identification tag should contain the name, address and phone number of the Irish Water Spaniel’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 traditional types of tags can gotten from any animal doctor or pet store. They’re inexpensive however the amount of information they can contain is limited to the size of the tag.

Fortunately, you have many more options of pet identification tags for your Irish Water Spaniel 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 market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs from your Irish Water Spaniel’s collar (or is attached to their cage) and which holds 64MB of data (including comprehensive medical and diet information). The small USB drive is encased in a sturdy polymer case and can be used in any computer, where it is easily updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your veterinarian or pet sitter. There are also bluetooth devices for tracking, but their range is small, because of bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Irish Water Spaniels

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