What info to have on dog's tags

[mangopassion]

I'm ordering some tags for my dog today and I'm wondering what info I should have on it.

It usually says this:

COPPER
[phone]
REWARD

Should I also put both hubby's cell phone number and my cell phone number on it, too? Even though our cell phones don't work where we live?

Also, I was thinking of ordering a second tag for when we are traveling. What kind of info should I put on that? His name? Cell phone numbers? Mother in law's phone number (since she sometimes dog-sits for us)? Does this tag stay on him at all times or should I only put it on while traveling? (I'm afraid of doing this because what if I forget to put it on him?)

Any other tips?

Thanks in advance!

[Magelet]

An idea I really liked that I saw once (if it's applicable to you and your dog) is:
"If I'm alone, I'm lost." Since sometimes it's hard to know if a dog wandering around is lost, or that's just what his family lets him/her do.

I'd say home phone, cell phone, and name of dog

[mangopassion]

I like that!

Thanks so much!

[beanma]

I put our address on, too. Our dog got out the other day (must have jumped up and hit the gate latch) and got out on the baseball field that is right behind our house (didn't have to cross a road — our lot backs up to it). It just so happened that the dog catcher (nice looking, too, like Tyler Florence) was going by and got her and brought her to our front door since I had the address on there. He thanked me for having the address on the tag. Otherwise she would have been taken to the pound I'm sure and then they would've had to try to contact me. We have since put a caribiner on the gate to keep her from pulling that same trick, too, but the dang fence is 6 ft tall solid board privacy fence! Crazy jumping dog!

[Magelet]

hmm that does make sense. if a dog is going to get out/lost often times it will be near home and it will otherwise just be a neighboor who brings the dog home if the address is there.

[rhiOrion]

Currently our dog doesn't have the address on the tag. But that was because until now we were moving every year and it was just getting tiring to remember to get her new tags. But now that we've bought a house we may add the address to her tags.

I like the suggestion of "If I'm alone, I'm lost." That would be true for her. I was also considering putting "I'm deaf" on there... it seems like important info, but I'm not totally sure if it is. I was also thinking that leaving that part off might be good, because then if someone ever tried to claim her as theirs I would have that piece of info to prove that I "know" her.

Anyhow... our dog in college had my cell, my roommate's cell, and my parents' home phone. The reason was that those were each in a different area code, and each in an area code he visited often. But now with free long distance it's not such a big deal.

I think an away-from-home tag might be a good idea. Especially if you made it easy to put on and remove. A cell phone of some sort would be really good, though, because then if she does get found somewhere when you're away from home, there will be a way to reach you.

[mangopassion]

Thank you for all the tips everyone!

I definitely like the "If I'm alone, I'm lost" thing, too. We live in the forest near Yosemite (with no fences) and people let their dogs wander all over the place. I'm always seeing dogs around here, some without collars, some with collars and no tags, and some with tags. We were housing a dog a couple of weeks ago that had tags (thankfully), but it took awhile to get a hold of her owner.

When I was a kid, we had a jumping dog. Drove my parents batty!

I'll see if I can put our address on the tag... I'm going to try to pick out one where I can fit a lot of info. on it.

[Purple*Lotus]

When I had my cats I always had their name, my phone number and my Mom's phone number in case we were out of town.

I think it is a good idea to have an emergency number that is of a family member or friend in case you wouldn't be available if someone found your pet.

[Ola_]

Originally Posted by Magelet

An idea I really liked that I saw once (if it's applicable to you and your dog) is:
"If I'm alone, I'm lost." Since sometimes it's hard to know if a dog wandering around is lost, or that's just what his family lets him/her do.

We have this on the back of our tags. On the front we have:
Dog's name
Street name/number
City name
Home phone number

I know you didn't ask for suggestions, but we got our tags from Boomerang Tags. They are excellent quality, much thicker than the ones I used to order from the pet store (we have the plastic ones), and arrived very fast even though I'm in Canada.

[pacificbliss]

We always put a note that said If I am out, I'm lost. Please call "My name" "My cell phone"

I adopted my randfather's habit of not putting the name of the dog as that would make it easier for a dishonest person to keep them.

[KalamazooMom]

We have just our dog's name and our phone number. But we also had him microchipped and he has the tag for that. I do think microchipping is a good idea.

[DoomaYula]

I put Dog's name, city and state, and two phone numbers.

I also love Boomerang Tags! (And Pet tag silencers for the license tags.)

[PlayaMama]

my mom that works for a vet clinic always recommended that you put:

in emergency treat my pet.

or i will agree to cover any vet costs needed for treatment.

something like that just in case your animal is hurt and people can't contact you right away. vet's don't usually want to treat stray animals without owner consent and liability.

[nemrac917]

We have 2-sided tags (Boomerang Tags) so we have a bit more room for info.

Front side:
"Dog's Name"
Phone 1
Phone 2
*Microchipped*

Back Side:
Last-name Family (i.e., Smith Family)
Address
City,State

[mangopassion]

Thanks for all the tips everyone!

I already ordered the tags... I wish I had seen the posts about Boomerang Tags before I ordered. Those look nice. I'm sure I'll have to order tags again someday, and I'll probably use them next time.

[nd_deadhead]

My dog has 3 ID tags - one each for my Mom's town, her lake cottage, and our town. The tags each have a different location and phone number, plus the dog's name.

Topper
Lake ****
123-4567

Topper
Hometown
123-7654

Topper
Our Home
987-6543

He wears all the tags all the time, so we don't have to think about adding or taking off. He is also microchipped, and his rabies tag has the vet's phone number on it.