According to the American Humane Society, approximately 10 million pets go missing and many of them enter animal shelters or are picked up by rescue groups. Due to microchips and traditional I.D. tags, fortunately many animals are able to be reunited with their families. Pets without them, however, will most likely not.
National Pet I.D. Week is coming up on April 17-23, which makes this the perfect time to talk about why your pet should have an I.D. tag on them at all times! They should also be microchipped with up-to-date information stored in the National database. We've talked about the importance of microchips in our blog, but we wanted to also talk about the importance of I.D. tags.
- The most important piece of information is your phone number. A dog or cat found with just that one piece of information will most likely be quickly returned.
- An address can also be very useful especially if your pet hasn’t wandered too far from your neighborhood. Some owners forego including the address on the pet ID tag either because it takes up too much space on the tag or for privacy reasons. Ultimately, you need to do what is best for you, but in recovering lost animals more information is better than less.
- Including a pet’s name can help a pet found by strangers feel more at ease.
- Some owners include the pet’s state or county registration number (if applicable), while others may include the phrase “I’m microchipped” on the tag.
- Some concerned owners have “medicine needed” printed on the tag in the hopes that it will help speed up the recovery process.
- There is the option to include a more personalized message. “I’m lost! Please call my family!” or “Help me get home!” are messages that might inspire the person who finds your missing pet to help the animal get home.
If your pet already has ID tags, make sure that information is still legible. Worn, damaged, or otherwise unreadable tags don’t help anyone. And it's very important to make sure your pet wears their ID at all times. No one plans for their pet to escape, so making sure they always have their collar with ID tag on will give you more peace of mind.
