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Safety Should be Our #1 Concern for All Our Precious Pets!
Your Pet Needs an ID Tag!
The American Humane Association celebrates every day as Tag Day to encourage all pet owners to tag or microchip their companion animals.
Pet care is more than providing food, water and shelter. Pet care also includes tagging your pet to protect them.
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, about 1 million dogs and 584,000 cats are taken into U.S. animal shelters as strays each year. Sadly, only 15 percent of those dogs and 2 percent of those cats are reunited with their owners.
The reason is shockingly simple -- too many owners fail to put identification on their animals, especially cats, to ensure their safe return home. Yet, even the most responsible pet owners can face unexpected circumstances that cause their animals to accidentally stray. This is especially true during summer when windows and doors tend to be open.
Every Day Is Tag Day unites thousands of individuals, plus professionals in local shelters, veterinary clinics, animal care and control agencies, and other humane agencies in the common goal of educating pet owners about the benefits of tagging their companion animals.
The following are two common types of identification that can mean the difference between life and death for your best friend. Remember, with each of these methods, it is imperative to keep information up to date.
ID Tags
All cats and dogs need to wear collars with city licenses and rabies vaccination tags. Personal ID tags are essential backups. The tag should include the owner's name, address, telephone numbers (day and evening) and the pet's name. Also:
- If you are willing to pay a reward, put the word "reward" on the tag.
- If you are traveling, put a temporary tag on your pet with the contact information of someone who knows how to reach you.
- For cats, use a specially-made collar that has a short piece of elastic sewn in it. These collars allow the cat to escape if it gets caught on window blinds, furniture, fencing or other objects.
- Tag your cat even if you never let it outside. It could slip through an open door and quickly become lost in the neighborhood.
- See our sections under Dog Products/Dog Collars & Accessories and Cat Products/Cat Collars & Accessories.
Microchips
More common than tattoos, microchips are tiny electronic capsules embedded under the pet's skin. When a pet is found, any agency with a scanner, including many animal care and control agencies, veterinary clinics and research labs, can quickly identify a code that links the animal to its owner through a database. Please see below about our Avid Pet ID Tag.
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