Should My Pet Have An ID Tag?

If your pet is prone to wander a long way from home then you should think about putting an identity tag on it. The ID tag can be as simple as you want, but the most modern way is to use 'radio frequency identification' or an RFID tag.

If you have a very young cat of dog, there is probably no necessity to tag it yet, but as the animal gets older, ID tags can become critical. If your pet gets lost, anyone finding it can then return it. If you have a cat or a dog, then a simple collar could be enough.

Some collars have a metal tag affixed to them so that you can have your contact details or phone number engraved on it, others have a ring, so that you can attach a small canister with your particulars inside it.

Some just write their address on the underside of the collar with a felt tipped pen or a marker pen. This is more risky though because you may not notice if it rubs off.

It is necessary to think about water damage if you are ID tagging a dog. Cats try to stay out of water, rain and snow, but most dogs love playing in it. If your dog's tag is not waterproof, it will soon become illegible. On the other hand, cats frequently lose their collars.

If your pet is a horse, then it is easier to have it branded and the brand registered, so that anyone locating your lost horse can reference the brand and discover your contact details.

If your pet is a tortoise, then you can write your phone number around the edge of its shell in a non-toxic fluid like nail varnish, but keep it small or you could poison the creature. Birds can have leg rings fitted. These leg bands have a unique number which can be referenced like a brand.

These are the conventional ways of ID tagging your pets, but the most modern way is to RFID tags them. These RFID tags can be affixed in several different ways. The simplest way is to have a plastic passive RFID tag made up and hang it from your pet's collar. This works well, until your pet loses its collar or unless someone removes it in order to take your pet.

Another way of attaching an RFID tag, is to have your details imprinted on a chip and have the chip installed under your pet's skin by a vet. Some people are disgusted by this idea others do not mind. However, it does not hurt, is not uncomfortable and cannot be lost.

When the police or the pound officials are handed a stray, they scan it for a chip as part of their routine these days. Even people have them installed so that they can move across international borders more swiftly.

The RFID tag is read by a scanner and can be read from distances of several feet to several hundred yards, which makes locating a lost pet a much easier task if it has an RFID tag fitted.