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I just finished reading an editorial from the April 2008 issue of the Whole Dog Journal called “ID Required: No Dog Should Be Without This Vital Equipment” by Nancy Kerns. It concerns what happens when our canine or feline friends “get lost” and it bears discussing because it is of personal importance to me as a dog “owner” and should be to you too. My own worry about Oso and Tankie getting lost is one of the reasons we why make ID tags here at 3 Labs and A Beagle. Not because they are huge money-makers, but because they are potentially huge life-savers. Being lost can be as un-dramatic as Fido escaping by digging under the backyard fence to run down the street in your own neighborhood. Or it could mean something as scary as when you are traveling across country by car visiting your kids and one of your grandkids opens the front door and lets your dog outside. What happens?

Or, what could happen? In the first scenario above, it is probably not a big deal unless your dog is nabbed by the dog catcher in your city or town. Maybe a fine, maybe a lecture. But, in scenario two, it means you may never see your furry friend again. Ms. Kerns is concerned that folks are not getting around to putting ID tags on their pets. I am too. People almost always go right out and get a collar for that new little puppy. An ID tag…”oh tomorrow” you think. Tomorrow may be too late. Maybe it is overkill but both Oso and Tankie were micro-chipped within days of joining my pack AND wear a collar with an ID tag. Why a microchip and a tag? Or even, only a tag for that matter? After all, your dog stays at home all the time. Right?

Say you take Precious in the car when you go to the grocery store just down the block because she just loves to ride in the car. You open the hatch to load all your groceries and…oh no…Precious leaps out and runs down the street. Yes, you live three blocks away from the store…but does Precious know how to get back home? Maybe. Maybe not. What happens if Precious is hit by a car while trying to find you. She is not killed but is injured and transported to a vet clinic by a good samaritan. She will not be treated until her owner is identified and agrees to pay for her treatment. Oh course you will pay for that treatment, Precious is your baby, your love. But, what if no one knows who her owner is? A tag would help.

Back to visiting the kids on that road trip, and your dog or cat escapes, it will be much faster if Mrs. Smith who finds them at her back door waiting for dinner can just look at an ID tag and call your cell phone number. She probably doesn’t have a microchip scanner! If the contact numbers on your pet’s ID tag are current, you can be reunited before you even realize your sweet dog or cat is missing! Especially when traveling, time is of the essence. You don’t want to leave the town you are visiting while your pet is still missing, but will your boss understand when you don’t come back from your vacation leave on time? What to do. Ah, yes. You should of bought that tag and added it to your pet’s collar. But who knew she would get lost?

An ID tag is truly important in terms of your pet’s safety and well-being. And your peace of mind. They are inexpensive. Having an ID tag that is up to date with your address and contact information could mean the difference between days in a shelter, with your beloved pet watching the door for you to save him and that very same pet sleeping in front of the fireplace on his very own special blankie the same night he jumped your fence to check out all the smells of Spring. Please, order a tag for your special furry friend. Not tomorrow. Today.

Works Cited
Kerns, N. (2008, April). ID Required. Whole Dog Journal , p. 2.