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Do Your Pets Have ID?

By Michele C. Hollow of Pet News and Views

Last winter when the snow covered cars and the plows blocked my driveway, my family and neighbors were outside shoveling. My son, Jordon, asked me why was a big dog on our front porch? I looked up and saw the most beautiful Siberian Husky.

Your pet's ID tag should have your pet's name and your cell phone number on it. These tags are from http://www.beststitch.com.

Fortunately, for me, he was friendly. Fortunately for him, he had an ID tag. His name was Muchacho (Spanish for mischievous boy), and his ID tag also listed a phone number. My Spanish (from high school) is quite poor. However, I was able to call Muchacho’s parents and tell them I found their dog. The story had a happy ending.

I’m telling you this because although most of us agree that it is essential for our pets to have ID tags, most of us don’t follow through. The ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) recently released a study showing that while 80 percent of pet owners think that ID tags are important, only about 30 percent report having ID tags on their pets.

The objective of their study was to evaluate if putting a free collar and ID tag on a pet during an owner’s visit to a veterinary hospital or spay/neuter facility increased the likelihood that the pet owner would actually keep the ID tag on their pet. A second population of dogs and cats that were adopted from animal control and humane society shelters were also studied to assess retention of a collar and personalized ID tag.

After eight weeks when the ID tag was applied, a telephone follow-up was conducted. For the group of pet owners that obtained the ID tag during a visit to a veterinary hospital or spay/neuter facility, use of an ID tag significantly increased by 84 percent. For the group of pet owners that obtained the ID tag at the point of adoption, 94 percent of owners reported their pets were wearing an ID tag at the time of follow-up.

“While statistics vary from community to community, stray animals could account for 40 to 60 percent of the total animal intake in animal shelters that take in strays,” says Dr. Emily Weiss, vice president of shelter research and development for the ASPCA. “Combined with the fact that the return-to-owner rate in most communities hovers between 10 and 30 percent for dogs and less than 5 percent for cats, we know that these lost pets are not finding their way home. But personalized ID tags that contain contact information for the dog or cat owner can help assure lost animals are quickly reunited with their owners.”

Microchips
I later learned that Muchacho had a microchip, and while I think microchips are important, I don’t own a scanner. So ID tags are crucial. “A lot of cat owners don’t put collars with ID tags on their indoor cats,” says Dr. Weiss. “They believe since they are indoor cats, they won’t get out. The problem is that some of these cats do get out, and when they are spotted many of us think they may be feral.”

“Microchips are a great addition to an ID tag,” continues Dr. Weiss. “However, Willow, the cat that was in the news who lived in Boulder, CO, and was found five years later in New York City had a microchip. Willow may have been returned home sooner if she had an ID tag.”

Dr. Weiss recommends that ID tags have the pet’s name and your cell phone number on them.

September 26th, 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , | Category: Pet News

28 comments to Do Your Pets Have ID?

  • Gracey, The Tiniest Tiger
    September 26, 2011 at 1:48 PM

    Thank you Michele. It is true that the microchip is important but the ID tag is still the quickest way to find a pet’s parents.

  • Carol Hupp
    September 26, 2011 at 3:01 PM

    thanks Michele. I would prefer the tags to the more expensive microchips. When you have as many as I do you have to think of the cost!

  • Daniela Caride
    September 26, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    Thanks for this post, Michele. ID tags are crucial because sometimes shelters can miss microchips, and it’s way more difficult, as you said, to return a dog with no ID tag. I just published two stories about a cat, the other about a dog with no tags. One returned home after 5 years, the dog after 10 years. They were both microchipped!!

    Here’s the story on Ducan the Corgi – back home after 10 years… http://www.thedailytail.com/news/dog-comes-back-home-after-11-years/

  • Joy Ward
    September 26, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    Good info, Michelle, but I would definitely encourage folks to get teh kind of collar that allows for names and phone numbers to be embroidered directly on the collar. Several reasons:
    1–Tags fall off.
    2–Some people are afraid to approach dogs, especially large dogs. case in point, my two Weimaraners got out of my yard. Being large dogs the woman who called me was nervous about getting too close. Both dogs were very friendly and wouldn’t have been aggressive but she didn’t know that. But she could read the phone number on the collar and was good enough to call me. Problem averted. Otherwise my two dogs might have been carried off by Animal Control and might have never made it out alive due to internal ac problems.

    Thanks again for the article!

  • Jennifer
    September 26, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    Thanks Michele. I have both, the microchip and the Id. I think it’s best to do both if you can but if nothing else the ID tag is so important.

  • Mary Thompson
    September 26, 2011 at 5:35 PM

    Thanks for this advice. Indoor cats can get out. I know. This happened to me, and my cat was found thanks to her id tag. She was just a few doors down from me.

  • George Connors
    September 26, 2011 at 5:36 PM

    I had the same thing happen to our cat Misty. She was on the next block. A neighbor found her, and returned her back to me thanks to her collar.

  • Grace Arnold
    September 26, 2011 at 5:37 PM

    We are going to get ID tags for our indoor cats. Thanks Michele–good post.

  • nancy sands
    September 26, 2011 at 6:16 PM

    I found a cat outside my apt bldg and luckily he had a tag-His name was Bologni and thank goodness I got his owner to come right away because he was in heat and not neutered and ready to make a break for it!

  • Barb Knight
    September 26, 2011 at 7:00 PM

    When I was younger, our family dogs always had dog tags…if I had a dog today, he’d have both dog tags and microchipped. Thanks Michelle.

  • Carol Bryant
    September 26, 2011 at 7:48 PM

    Great tips and yes, please have ID on your pets. When traveling, we put the name of the hotel where we are staying on a temporary ID tag. Many hotels are providing them, too.

  • DLP
    September 26, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    I think pets should have both – a collar with tags & a microchip. Often times when pets do get out of the house, they do slip those collars easily. As for the microchips, it is a good idea to remind everyone that not all microchips & microchip scanners are created equal. There are a couple brands that do not reliably read with the universal scanners. On a very rare occasion microchips do migrate from their original implant site. However, how many owners update their information or even register them to begin with? We often end up with strays in our neighborhood, and we take each & everyone of them to the vet to be scanned even if they do have tags. It’s very easy for someone to swap collars with new tags, especially if you live a high theft area.

  • Carol Barnes
    September 26, 2011 at 8:24 PM

    I have 3 dogs and 3 cats. All of my animals are microchipped except for my 13 year old cat. While my cats are indoor cats, I have collars on all of them with their name and address. I keep ID tags on them because I am concerned that they might escape outside and I want to make sure that they would be returned. My dogs also have tags, in addition to their microchips. Like the article said, if a person on the street were to find the dog, they don’t have a scanner but they can read the chip. I look at the microchip as a backup to the ID. In case they were to lose their collar, the microchip would helf ID them. The ID tags are so inexpensive, I can’t see why anyone would not invest in one.

  • sue mcguey
    September 26, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    Thank you for the informative article Michele….personally having as many pets as I do I prefer the collar & tags! For both means of ID there is positive & negative!~

  • Mary Truelove
    September 26, 2011 at 8:34 PM

    Thanks Michele I agree about the Id tags on your animals,microchips are great also but some people can not afford it.

  • Carrie Langley
    September 26, 2011 at 9:19 PM

    My dog and indoor cat both have ID tags with their names and my phone number on it. Thanks for this important story Michele!

  • LittleStar
    September 26, 2011 at 11:09 PM

    Yes Michi,I always have had Id and info tags on my cats,even the ferals, if I could get a collar on them. After many years of watching studies on Micro-chipping, and personal experience,I have a negative response to this procedure. I still think the collar and tag,or registered tattoo in ear, are safer. Too many people look at cats as a tool, not a worthy being….I wish I could change peoples outlook on the animals.

  • Henriette
    September 26, 2011 at 11:42 PM

    ID tags are certainly going to be a quicker reunion for your pets that wear them! And when found they will certainly know that these animals belongs to someone & to contact you immediately making these pets much quicker to return home where they belong. Thanks Michele.

  • John Cause
    September 27, 2011 at 4:25 AM

    Not providing human communication devices for your dog is inhumane.
    They can die from this neglect.
    A written message is your pet’s only chance.

  • Elsie Au
    September 27, 2011 at 7:31 AM

    I think it is important to have both ID and microchips. Soemtimes, ID tag may get lost One of my friend found a dog without any ID running at the back of her house and took him to see her vet. Becasue this dog has a microchip, they were able to find the owner and return him safely to his family.

  • Monica Lerman
    September 27, 2011 at 8:11 AM

    My two dogs have licenses, but my indoor cats (I have two of them) don’t. I am going to get them. Thanks for this article.

  • nancy schetelick
    September 27, 2011 at 8:36 AM

    I have both the micro chip/tags and ID tags, plus the city dog license tags so my dogs jingle when they walk.

  • Ronni Goddard
    September 27, 2011 at 1:38 PM

    Both our dogs have ID; they’re so important to us, we couldn’t bear the thought they might get lost.
    Great article, as always. thanks, Michelle.

  • Kim O'Connor
    September 27, 2011 at 11:13 PM

    All of my animals have collars and I.D. tags. Better safe than sorry!! Not a fan of the micro chips! I know I wouldn’t want one in me!!! Thanks Michelle!!

  • Shake A Paw Greetings
    September 28, 2011 at 2:59 AM

    After 12 years of being indoor cats, ours suddenly decided to be adventurous. It seemed fitting to order them new tags. I recently found another tag called Blanket ID which uses the internet almost like an AMBER alert. Read about it. It’s quite clever. http://blanketid.com/blanket_overview.php

  • cate
    September 28, 2011 at 7:11 PM

    Thank you Shake a Paw Greetings for the shout out! A blanket ID tag offers many advantages over a traditional ID tag. Our tags use a unique ID number to provide access to an online record of your pet and everything you would want anyone to know if they found your pet lost (think allergies, medical info, care instructions etc.) Please take a look at our video that explains it in more detail, but the big difference here is that you can change your contact information to reflect wherever you are- even after your pet has gone missing if you need to – perfect for travelling. Remember, using our broadcast emails with a photo of your pet means that your pet has a chance to be identified even if it has lost its collar and tag.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlh6mWZvhtw

  • Jill
    October 2, 2011 at 8:30 AM

    Thank you Michele, its a good reminder. There is nothing worse than loosing a beloved pet and you cant find them.

  • Julie van Niekerk
    October 5, 2011 at 3:07 AM

    This is a good idea for all pet owners. It is heartbreaking to loose a pet and to wonder where they are. Tag them and save a life.