Every dog needs a dog tag.
Especially if your dog…
- Goes out on walks
- Goes for rides in the car
- Is left to play in the backyard alone
- Is traveling on an airplane
Ideally, every dog should wear identifying information on a dog tag attached to their collar at all times. (Our dogs do.)
Here’s how to prepare ahead of time for emergencies and make sure that your dog is protected if they should ever go missing while you’re at home OR while you’re traveling.
I did a lot of research and found the most reasonably priced dog tags are from this company: Providence Engraving Dog ID Tags. They’re on Amazon!
Why I Chose These Dog Tags
I have 2 Black Labs — and I’ve been color-coordinating all of their dog gear from day one.
Destin’s collar, leash, and car harness are all RED. Tenor’s dog gear is all BLUE. Likewise, when it came time to order their dog tags, I wanted a RED one for Destin, and a BLUE one for Tenor.
Providence Engraving Dog ID Tags has the:
- Most colors (9)
- Most shapes (7)
- Most reasonable prices (less than $5)
- Most lines of customizable text (4 on front + 4 on back)
- Most durable quality (aircraft-grade aluminum)
- Best reviews (70,000)
- Highest ratings (5 stars)
- FREE shipping
I chose the bone-shaped dog tag — one in RED (for our dog Destin) and one in BLUE (for our dog Tenor).
I am 100% satisfied with these dog tags, pictured here:
For what it’s worth… I don’t put my dogs’ Rabies tags on their collars with their ID tags. Why not? Two reasons: 1) Because you don’t have to. You only need to produce “the paper certificate” that shows your dog received the Rabies vaccination. 2) Because having only one “tag” on the dog’s collar reduces the noise (jingle-jangle) that comes from wearing dog tags — like every time the dog runs or shakes its head. I prefer less jingle-jangle.
How To Order These Dog Tags
Choose your size:
- Small (for small dogs only)
- Large (for medium & large dogs)
Choose your shape:
- Bone
- Circle
- Rectangle
- Heart
- Hydrant
- Paw
- Cat Face
- Star
Choose your color:
- Blue
- Black
- Red
- Silver
- Gold
- Purple
- Orange
- Green
- Pink
Choose your lines of text:
- Up to 4 lines of text on FRONT
- Up to 4 lines of text on BACK
On the FRONT, I recommend that you only put your dog’s name. (It simply “looks” the best, in my opinion.)
On the BACK, I would encourage you to put this:
LINE 1: Your name — so if someone finds your dog they’ll know who to ask for
LINE 2: Your address — if your dog gets loose near your home, they can quickly & easily be returned to you
LINE 3: Your phone number — I put the info like this OWNER: (555) 555-5555
LINE 4: Your veterinarian’s phone number — I put the info like this VET: (555) 555-5555
With all of that information on the back of your dog’s ID tag, anyone who might happen to find your dog will know exactly how to return your dog to you quickly!
Here are ALL of my tips and precautions that you should take in case your dog ever becomes separated from you.
Believe it or not, this one single item that costs less than $5 could be the difference between you being reunited with your lost dog… or not.
If you have a dog, then you NEED a dog ID tag on your dog’s collar!
Where To Get Dog ID Tags Made Near You
If you prefer to buy your dog tags locally, I’ve found the do-it-yourself DIY Dog Tag Machine at PetSmart (also available online) to be great quality and long-lasting.
It’s SUPER easy to make them yourself — in the store!
A few dogs ago (and before I discovered Providence Engraving Dog ID Tags), I made a couple of dog tags for my dogs using PetSmart’s DIY dog tag machine.
PetSmart dog ID tags start at $5 (for the QR code one, which is pretty cool!) and go up from there, depending on the size, shape, and features you choose.
Here are all of the other dog tags you can buy on Amazon.
PROOF: The Type Of Collar & Dog Tag You Choose Matters!
I have to say… I literally CRINGE whenever I see photos of my dogs wearing their “old” collars that are loose and dangle like necklaces!
That was before I knew better. (And when you know better, you do better.)
Here’s the story about the time my dog almost choked wearing that type of dog collar. It happened TWO separate times!
When I eventually ditched those old dangly dog collars, I found the most affordable, highly-rated, best quality (and reflective!) dog collars from Joytale on Amazon. I bought one in RED and one in BLUE.
Another thing that I’ve been considering lately are these flat, no noise, slide-on dog ID tags by a company called Pawnimals. They make silicone dog ID tags.
These, too, are super affordable AND super cute! They’re available in 9 different colors and you can choose with or without the paw prints on either side of your dog’s name.
Flat, slide-on, silicone dog ID tags are one of the BEST ways to prevent your dog’s tags from getting caught IN or ON anything!
Regardless of what type of dog collar OR dog tags you choose for your pet, there’s only one thing that truly matters… You definitely need a dog ID tag on your dog’s collar! Because you can never be too prepared.
