Why even have a collar with no ID tags?!

[.sarah]

A lot of people from work have their dogs wear collars but they do not put ID tags on them. They always tell me "they don't need them, they have microchips" but I really, really think they do. Seriously, what is the point of a collar if you're not going to put ID tags on them? My friend and co-worker changed her opinion when her mixed breed and Vizsla (her dream dog) got out. In order to get their dogs back they had to post flyers. The lady who was keeping them was thrilled to have found their owners, so had they been wearing ID tags they would have been home much sooner. Precious time you could be spending with your dogs instead of looking for them!

ID tags are so important to me. I was noticing today that Mandy's are getting hard to read, and so she will be getting new ones soon because it is just so important to me in case she were to get out. I still have Buttons' collar. He had quite a few ID tags. One displaying medical information (diabetic and needs insulin twice daily, is blind, etc.), another for microchip information, and another for contact phone numbers.

This is just something that really irks me. I think we'd have fewer dogs in rescue. Some shelters don't scan for microchips. Also, my friend's dog Ammo has a microchip, but last time she scanned for it, it was down in his elbow. I have never seen a shelter person scan elbows, they do around the neck and a little down the back. So even microchipping isn't always going to get your pet home!

Anyone here do that? What are y'all's thoughts on this matter?

[cali]

my dogs where collars with no ID tags. they dont where the collars for Id they wear the collars so they can be held easy, only perky and Ripley wears tags, no idea why Perky does, she does not exactly run away, th elast time she got out of the yard she sat at the gate and waited for someone to notice lol taking her to the park is pointless as she just stands beside you as if she were leashed :rolleyes: Ripley where tags and is tatooed because he is an escape artist. Happy and Misty dont go anywhere either, they hate it if anyone tries to make them leave my side lol Blair need tags..does not have any, he only wears a collar to make him easier to grab, we just through whatever collar on, he does not have a collar that is specifically his.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

My dogs stopped wearing collars all together for quite a while because my Dad thinks they're uncomfortable with them on but on Tango got out a while ago when I wasn't home and that changed his mind. Now I always keep a collar and ID tags on them. Tango needs a new tag though so I'm going to get her a collar with her name and phone number embroidered on it instead of getting her a tag as she seems to wear them down easily. My dogs also all have tag pouches on their collars so they don't lose their tags and because I don't like the jingling and I'm sure they don't either.

[.sarah]

my dogs where collars with no ID tags. they dont where the collars for Id they wear the collars so they can be held easy, only perky and Ripley wears tags, no idea why Perky does, she does not exactly run away, th elast time she got out of the yard she sat at the gate and waited for someone to notice lol taking her to the park is pointless as she just stands beside you as if she were leashed :rolleyes: Ripley where tags and is tatooed because he is an escape artist. Happy and Misty dont go anywhere either, they hate it if anyone tries to make them leave my side lol Blair need tags..does not have any, he only wears a collar to make him easier to grab, we just through whatever collar on, he does not have a collar that is specifically his.
With my first mentioned friend, her dogs do not get out. They are not escape artists. Her Vizsla does not leave her side much either, but they must go outside to the bathroom. The wind blew the gate open after her sister failed to shut it properly (an accident that can happen to anyone). They are good dogs, but the gate opened and they said "HEY! There IS more to the world than our backyard!" and they left. It's this reason that she will never be without tags on her dogs again, no matter how well behaved.

[BC_MoM]

Molly only has her rabies tag on her right now.

Mickey has all of his tags, but only wears his collar on longer walks and car rides.

Some people are so scary that if they find a loose dog and want to keep it, they just remove the tags. :(

I really want to get both Mickey and Molly microchips, though.

[Uabassoon]

I understand that some people chose not to put collars on their dogs for safety reasons. That to me is a personal choice, and one I can understand. However I don't understand why people put who do choose to put collars on their dogs don't put on ID tags. So many times I've seen dogs loose on the roads wearing collars but no ID tag. Recently my friend took in a dog that had a collar but he wasn't wearing any tags, it took her several days to find the owners. It could have taken minutes if they would have just taken the time to put some ID tags on the collar. She also took the dog in to get scanned for a chip and it didn't have one. When she found the owners she let them know that they needed to get their dog microchipped then go to Petsmart and get a tag made for his collar.

[.sarah]

Some people are so scary that if they find a loose dog and want to keep it, they just remove the tags. :(
Yes, of course there are people like that. But, there are also people like Uabassoon mentioned. People that, if there had been ID tags, would have returned the dogs to their owners the minute they found them.

[BC_MoM]

Yes, of course there are people like that. But, there are also people like Uabassoon mentioned. People that, if there had been ID tags, would have returned the dogs to their owners the minute they found them.

Thank God most do. My friend's Bichon Frise went missing for a few months during the summer. Turns out someone HAD removed his tags and just kept him. Too bad they lived in the same neighbourhood. My friend recognized her BF and her BF recognized her. :)

[CagneyDog]

I don't understand why people wouldn't have ID tags. They are easy to get so there really is no reason. I hear stories all the time about people that had a great responsive dog that never left the yard and one day they take off. Its too risky.

[AllAmericanPUP]

all of my dogs wear collars but only 3 of them have ID tags...maggie and eli have ID tags and keesha has a tag that says if you find me to go www.getmehome.com and it has a number you put in the website and it will give you her/my info...the other 4 dont have tags because i just never got them any...i do need to get around to doing that though....all of the dogs use to have ID tags but they fell off or broke :rolleyes: so i need to find some good strong sturdy ones

[Uabassoon]

I don't understand why people wouldn't have ID tags. They are easy to get so there really is no reason. I hear stories all the time about people that had a great responsive dog that never left the yard and one day they take off. Its too risky.

Not just that, but there are also emergencies that people never think about. What if there is a fire in your house, or someone breaks in and the dogs run away out of fear. Things can happen when you aren't home.

[Kfamr]

If the dog I had found a few months ago had tags it would have saved me days of crying and stress. I would have gotten her back to her owner that day and not had to of worried about if i'd have to take her to the shelter or not.

Anyhow - My dogs have never ran away or got out. If they go in the front yard they just chill there. However, all 3 are microchipped AND wear collars with tags. In fact, I just bought them new tags for Christmas.


Any slight chance that my dogs would be returned to me if they get out/wind up in someone else's hands is completely worth it to me.

[Bigyummydog]

HELLO?????? What are collars for??? MAXIMUS' only reason to wear a collar,
is for ID. He has a separate walking collar. Oooo!! Otherwise, he'd always
be naked.

[Ginger's Mom]

Many many years ago, I did not have a tag (except the local dog license) on my first dog. Back then, I was young (well not really that young) and lived by myself and was afraid of putting my personal information on a dog collar where anyone could get that information. I figured that, a). everyone in the complex knew my little girl and knew where she lived, and b). if she got out somewhere else, whoever found her could identify her by calling the township, and they (the township) would contact me. However, I know of two dogs (not my own) who definitely benefitted from wearing tags, and have had ID tags on my dogs for years.

[Roxyluvsme13]

Gotta get Roxy a new tag! She used to have one, but it broke off the first time she escaped. Thinking about talking to the vet about getting her microchipped, and Lily doesnt wear a tag yet. Skye's never had one, cuz she's always inside.

[tricollie4me]

Though Bijou isn't chipped, she does have a collar with all her ID tags (her rabies tag, which shows our vet info, her city dog licence and her dog park tag, her "personal" dog tag which lists her name, our family name/addy/phone #, and a Frontline ID tag with an Internet site that will show her photo and our personal info. Bijou is definitely a collie, in that she knows our home's boundaries and wants to stay with us, but she is also a bit of a scamp and will try to stretch those boundaries if we're not right with her (she never goes outside without an adult if she's off leash, and she only goes for walks with my older boys if she's on leash). She LOVES squirrels, birds and bunnies and I don't doubt she'd much prefer to chase them than sit quietly near me! Tags are a must, so that means a collar is a must...I do admit, with her ever-growing mane, I wish she could go bare, but I would never, ever chance it. She's too much puppy yet, at 14 months, and much too dear to us to question her safety.

Great thread - very interesting!

[ramanth]

Kia always wears a collar with tags. Sometimes I take her collar off when we are inside together.

[cloverfdx]

All 4 pups all have tags of some sort on their collars for when they are out and about ;). No reason not to have tags on. We found a little JRT a few months back he had a collar on but no tags and was not microchipped he was with us for about 2 days before we could track his owners down, would have been much easier to return him with some form of ID.

[Allecto]

Check your local laws. There are quite a few areas now were you are risking a nifty little fine for being in a public place with the tags not on the dog's collar. Where I live, even if your dog is on your property and does not leave it, and even if the dog is current on all required licenses, you can be fined for not having the tags attached to the collar, and your dog can be impounded. Technically, (although it isn't like they have a big task force hunting down these cases around the clock), it is illegal for me to NOT have a collar and approved tags on any dog I have over 4 months, no matter my personal preference, and no matter how well-trained, easily identified, or home-bound that dog is.

[k9krazee]

Micki and Kyra are my only dogs with ID tags at the moment (that have their name, address, phone #) and everybody but Jack has a rabies and a licence tag. Jack only has a tag that came from the rescue and it broke off a while ago and I haven't fixed it. I haven't gotten a license for Jack (it is illegal :o ). I do understand the importance of ID and have been working on it.

[pnance]

Check your local laws. There are quite a few areas now were you are risking a nifty little fine for being in a public place with the tags not on the dog's collar. Where I live, even if your dog is on your property and does not leave it, and even if the dog is current on all required licenses, you can be fined for not having the tags attached to the collar, and your dog can be impounded. Technically, (although it isn't like they have a big task force hunting down these cases around the clock), it is illegal for me to NOT have a collar and approved tags on any dog I have over 4 months, no matter my personal preference, and no matter how well-trained, easily identified, or home-bound that dog is.

It's required to have a license on your dog at all times or your risking a fine here. I even know of someone who was out walking their dog (on leash, completely legal) and was stopped because the humane society officer driving by noticed he didn't have tags. She was fined and had to get the tag or risk her dog being taken away. That said all 4 of mine have a license plus some other id tag on their collar just in case.

[dogzr#1]

All three of my dogs have tags. They just got new ones a few days ago, so they are still brand new.

[dab_20]

Well someone who finds a dog with no ID tag isn't gonna exactly say "Oh, maybe they're microchipped?" And this person may keep the dog because they assume it's a stray.

Sammy just got his first ID tag a few weeks ago and Molli has always worn one since she was a puppy. They aren't expensive, so why not get one??

[pitc9]

Both of my pups are chipped and wear collars with tags. Both have ran aways before and it was my phone number on Sierra's tag that got her back to me!!

[dab_20]

yah missy ran away for 9 days once she ran over 10 miles!!! luckly a teacher at school is the one who found her. :D she coulden't see the tag because she coulden't get near missy because she was afraid of strangers. but another time missy ran away and someone found her and called our number. now i am best friends with that person. lol... molli and sammy have never run away before.

[lv4dogs]

I am so bad, Kaige only has his rabies tag & thats it. I know I really have been meaning to get him a real tag but either the machine is broke at walmart or petco or I foget. I just wrote it down & will get it donw by the end of the week.

Raustyk & Nanook have tags though and Raustyk is microchipped. Kaige will be microchipped when he gets neutered in about a month or so.

I believe tags are important, a lot of people don't know about the microchips or won't take the time to bring the found dog to a shelter or vet to get checked for one.

[Chilli]

Ethan wears a collar and tags 24/7, when we adopted it said in the contract-thing that it was a requirement. On his collar he has his tags. One is his rabies vaccinations, and it has the number to our vet on their, so our vet could easily recognize him if someone brought Ethan to him (recognize him as the skittish dog that likes to poo' in his waiting room^^). Also, we have a tag that his shelter gave us. It was a number to their shelter and a certain i.d. number that the shelter can use to find out exactly who owns him.
Frisk doesn't wear his harness (his head is too little, collars come right off :o ) unless we're on a walk or in a public place, and all he has on his is his rabies vaccination, same as Ethan's.
We plan on getting a tag for both of them that has their name and our address and/or phone number.

[dab_20]

lv4dogs, well rabies tag can help because they can calll the vet number on the tag and tell them the ID number and then they can find out who's dog it is.

[lv4dogs]

lv4dogs, well rabies tag can help because they can calll the vet number on the tag and tell them the ID number and then they can find out who's dog it is.

Thanks for pointing that out, I knew that but a lot of people wouldn't go through that much trouble. I'd like to have a tag on him that has my name & number so that I can be re-united ASAP should he ever get away from me.

[slleipnir]

I only have rabies tags on mine...however, there is a number on that which Ibelieve can be linked to my dogs if someone where to call the vet and ask.

A dog I use to own got away once. He had no tags on but it only took me a few hours to find him. We only have one small HS on the island, so I knew they would take him there. I had to pay a lot to get him seeing he didn't have an ID tag though :rolleyes:

[wolfsoul]

Visa has a collar with an ID tag and her license. Visa isn't an escape artist and she has stayed in the backyard even though the gate was blown open by the wind, but I wouldn't take any chances. There are always situations in whivh a dog might get loose. A couple of years ago, Visa's breeder took Visa and Visa's mother and grandmother camping. Because the dogs were in a group, they all took off. Everyone searched for them for two days. If they would have had tags, it would have been so much easier to find them. Luckily, a crew of carpenters were listening to the radio announcement about the dogs and phoned in -- the dogs got lost and had been hanging around their building site.

Visa's tag has her name, my home and work numbers, my address, and it says "medication needed" and "please call my mom." She doesn't need meds but there's the off-chance that someone might want to keep her instead of giving her back to me, and I'm sure they would change her mind if she needed meds.

[dappledoxie]

Claire and Rebel have their ID and Rabies tags on their harness/collars. I plan to have them microchipped as soon as I can.

[Ree'sKujo]

Kujo has a tag for rabies,his microchip,a personal tag w/pnone# and his county license tag.Being he's an Akita and they love to run I want to be safe and make sure someone can always find out where he belongs.I do however take his color off when he's in the house and put it back on when he goes outside,wether it's for a walk or just in the back yard.

[dab_20]

well my friend had a pittie mix that would 'never' run away. they said he didn't need a tag since he always stayed with them. well one night he was outside and a thunderstorm came and he ran off, they never found him. in cases like these, it shows you to always take precautions.

[anna_66]

ID, rabies tags and city tags are the reasons my dogs even wear a collar.
There is no way I would risk them NOT having them on. You never know what is going to happen.

[Husky_mom]

none of my dogs had escaped, but when i had the belgian.....she was the escape artist that thought them how to, she even squeezed in a 4 1/2 inch space between bars and got out wander a bit and then come back so i installed a link fence all over the house now it seems like a prision LOL LOL but since her some dogs have tried to but with the links on no way jose.

and about the ID tags, i have no collars on them unless when walking them, and i have no ID tags except for the rabies tag, i want to get some but here there are not many places if any that make dog tags, so i need to get some from USA. i also like to buy the ID bag because of the tingling, thay go nuts and try to take it off.

[IRescue452]

Microchips aren't commonly known yet, only among the pet savvy. A dog without a collar still LOOKS LIKE A STRAY. It can be shot, it can be picked up by a family who never knows it has a chip, anything can happen. Microchips don't advertise that the dog has a home.

[Jessika]

MICROCHIPPING IS IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM TO BE A REPLACEMENT FOR HAVING TAGS ON THEIR COLLARS.

That ticks me off, too. What if your dog gets loose and a neighbor down the street or a few streets over find him but don't know he's yours? Obviously they don't have a scanner to scan for a microchip. What if they just decide, hey, he's cute so we're thinking about keeping him??

What if his chip has travelled and is no longer in the shoulder so when the vet scans, nothing comes up and therefore think he's not chipped and he goes up for adoption or, even worse, gets put to sleep if nobody adopts him???

Regardless of whether my pups are chipped or not, they ALWAYS have id tags as well. Charlie especially, since he is partially deaf and VERY scared of strangers, I have extra information on his tag letting them know he has hearing problems.

[cyber-sibes]

mine are both chipped and wear id's on their collar along with rabies & county tags. Star's been returned to us twice when she wandered the neighborhood - once because of her microchip (returned by the dog catcher who scanned her) and once because the people that found her called the number on her tag. So I recommend using both. I do have a second collar with only an ID tag for Sherman because he kept getting it caught between the decking & ripping the tags off. my husband drilled a small hole at the bottom, and now I have it sewn across his kennel collar. But when we go out, he gets the collar with all the tags.


sarah, you brought up the second reason for the collars, too -- medical alerts. Sherman has impaired vision, so I have that on his ID tags so people will be aware of why he may seem skittish or growl if they get around his head. Better than having them think he's mean!

[buttercup132]

all my dogs have tags even roxy dose(shes a bunny) but then again roxy and the dogs area always at paks playing without a leash and roxy plays in the back unsupervised so tags are a big thing for my pets

[buttercup132]

all my dogs have tags even roxy dose(shes a bunny) but then again roxy and the dogs area always at paks playing without a leash and roxy plays in the back unsupervised so tags are a big thing for my pets

[Ree'sKujo]

Most microchips come with a tag that has the number to the microchip company so you can call them and the owner can be contacted.If your not going to put the tag on the collar there's no point in microchipping the dog.I put his microchip tag on his collar as well as a tag with my phone number,the rabies tag also has the vets phone number on it.

[CathyBogart]

That's a great question. I found a HUGE puppy a few months ago with a collar and no ID tags. I took him ot the shelter, and when I stopped by a few weeks later they told me he was still there. If he had had an ID tag I could have gotten him back to his people that night. :(

[LuvGold00]

None of my guys where collars when they are home, but when we go to agility class Nova has a collar with his tag on it, but they are all microchipped too.