Picking a Pet ID Tag for Your Pumi

Buying a pet identification tag for your Pumi is like purchasing an insurance policy – you do so with the devout wish that you’re never going to need it. The “possible cost” of not having a pet ID tag is more expensive than the “actual price” of buying the pet tag itself.

The type of pet ID tag that you buy is crucial, so take five minutes or so to think it through. Whimsically picking a collar tag because it’s inexpensive or pretty usually proves to be a regret, long-term.

Consider this before purchasing any pet identification tag for your Pumi:
1.What is the amount of risk to your Pumi?
Missing Pumis are very common – we have all noticed “Lost Dog!” signs posted around the city, or deceased dogs lying on the side of the road. If your Pumi is a pro at escaping your fence, or cannot resist tracking a smell, or young and vigorous, or is not correctly trained, the risk of a missing Pumi is high.

But losing your Pumi isn’t the only danger.

Some Pumis get stolen. A pet thief may snatch Rover or Fido in hopes of getting a reward for its return, or to use in dog battles (even small or gentle dogs are at risk – they can be used as “bait”), or for use in religious rituals.

And what is the danger to your Pumi if something happens to you, the owner?

If you’re a senior adult with a Pumi, especially if you live alone or are in poor health, there’s a good chance that at some point someone else may need to care for your Pumi, maybe with little notice. And anyone can be hit with a disaster or tragedy which leaves you incapable of caring for your companion.

In this case, will your Pumi’s new or temporary steward know that Fido hates cats, or requires medicine, or even whether or not Max is housetrained? A pet identification that has more than your phone number and name would be very beneficial.

2.What amount of danger are you ok with?
Some Pumis are just more important to their owners, and the risk of losing that pet warrants a specific, higher priced kind of pet ID tag. Risk is proportional to value.

Realize that there are several ways to calculate the value of your Pumi. It may be monetary (e.g., a purebred Pumi) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

However for most Pumi owners, the emotional attachment they have to their Pumi determines its value. For many owners, Pumis are family members, impossible to replace and dearly loved.

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

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

At a minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the phone number, name and address of the Pumi’s owner in a legible, durable format. Plastic tags are lightweight but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags are durable and don’t rust or fade. These traditional types of tags can bought from any animal doctor or pet store. They’re inexpensive but the amount of info they can display is limited to the size of the tag.

Fortunately, you have many more options in pet ID tags for your Pumi these days, such as microchipping, tattooing, digital display tags, pet registry web sites and voice recorded pet id tags.

One of the newest entries in the pet ID market is the high-tech USB drive that hangs from your pet’s collar (or is attached to their cage) and which can hold 64MB of data (including complete diet and medical information). The small 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 small, due to bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Pumis

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