Picking a Pet Identification Tag for Your German Pinscher

Picking a pet identification tag for your German Pinscher is like buying insurance – you do it 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 type of pet ID tag that you buy is crucial, so take 5 minutes or so to think it through. Whimsically purchasing a collar tag just because it’s cheap or pretty often proves to be unwise, long-term.

Think about the following prior to choosing any pet identification tag for your German Pinscher:
1.What is the amount of risk to your German Pinscher?
Missing German Pinschers are very common – we have all seen “Lost German Pinscher!” signs posted around the city, or deceased dogs lying along the edge of the road. If your German Pinscher is a pro at jumping your fence, or cannot resist following a smell, or young and vigorous, or is not well trained, the possibility of a lost German Pinscher is high.

But losing your German Pinscher isn’t the only possibility.

Sometimes German Pinschers are stolen. A pet thief may take Fido or Fifi hoping to get 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 cult rituals.

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

If you’re a senior citizen with a German Pinscher, 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 short notice. And anyone can be hit with a disaster or tragedy that renders you unable to care for your German Pinscher.

In this case, will your German Pinscher’s temporary or new caretaker 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 level of risk are you ok with?
Some German Pinschers are just more important to their owners, and the chance of losing that particular animal demands a specific, higher priced kind of pet identification tag. Risk is proportional to value.

Keep in mind that there is more than one way to assess the value of your German Pinscher. It may be financial (e.g., a purebred German Pinscher) or functional (e.g., a guide dog).

But for most German Pinscher owners, the emotional attachment they have to their companion sets its value. For many, German Pinschers are family members, dearly loved and impossible to replace.

3.From your answers to the two previous queries, what do you need in a pet identification tag?

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

At a bare minimum, a pet ID tag should contain the name, address and phone number of the German Pinscher’s owner in a legible, durable format. Plastic tags are light but easily chewed. Stainless steel tags are durable and don’t rust or fade. These customary kinds of tags can purchased from any animal doctor or pet store. They’re inexpensive but the amount of information they hold is limited to the size of the tag.

Fortunately, you have many more options in pet ID tags for your German Pinscher these days, such as tattooing, microchipping, digital display tags, voice recorded pet identification tags, and pet registry websites.

One of the recent entries 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 holds 64MB of data (including complete medical and diet information). The tiny USB drive is encased in a sturdy polymer case and can be used in any computer, where it is automatically updated and easy to print sections for sharing with your vet or pet sitter. There also exist bluetooth devices for tracking, but their range is low, because of bluetooth technological limits.

Don’t forget to check out these other articles about German Pinschers

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