I am one of those people. The ones that will stop at the side of the road and coax a nervous dog for ten minutes until she can read the tags or get him in the car to help find the owner.
Oh, yes. Those people.
I run into at least one or two dogs a month that are running loose— and the worst part? Most of them do not have tags! I know, I know. Not a big deal most of the time. They are comfy and safe at home, afterall.
Think of your pet’s collar as his back pocket, though. You can find his wallet, which has identification information. When a human is found without identification and can’t tell you who he is, he becomes a John Doe. It is probably easier to figure out who he is because we leave so many records behind us!
But if your pet doesn’t have a wallet, he end ups in the humane society for hours, days, or longer if you don’t come get your pet! People in the community and the humane society can’t help you or your dog find each other.
This morning, though, I was leaving a client where a small Chihuahua was running around the street near the highway. She was up in my lap the moment I opened my door! Luckily she had a tag on, so it was just a matter of driving a few blocks to her owner. Home in minutes!
Other times I can’t find identification on a dog I nearly run over and know he could live just down the street or halfway across town, so I drop him by Caring Hands. This is all assuming someone willing to take him to the shelter comes across him before something really bad happens (I have seen people stop dogs, but keep going if they don’t have an ID). I have also seen people on craigslist pick up and re-home dogs that do not have identification (but that is another blog post altogether)!
Dog tags can just be your rabies tag with your information etched in to it, a designer tag, or a unique handmade tag. If you Etsy, my personal favorite is FetchAPassionTags for dog tags! They’re only a little over $10 each there, too, so it’s not outrageous pricing.
Doggy wallets aren’t overly expensive. 😉 But not having one could cost your pet his home.
Image credit: Mike Baird
