What to Engrave on a Dog Tag

What to Include On A Dog Tag

The Front Side of the Dog Tag

Your dog tag is your dog's lifeline to reach his home again. The information to engrave onto his tag, however, can be as unique as your relationship with him.

A typical dog tag from our store will include the following four lines of information:

Dog's Name
123 Street Address
City, State, ZIP
Home Phone Number

Depending on the dog tag that you are having engraved, your street address may need to be abbreviated. The zip code is not always wanted, required, or able to fit. However, this is the basic block that nearly every dog tag begins with.

Taller dog tags - usually for larger dogs - have an advantage when it comes to placing more information on the front of the tag. Many people wish to add more information, such as their own names or personal cell phone numbers.

Dog's Name
Owner's Name
123 Street Address
City, State, ZIP
Home Phone Number

Dog's Name
123 Street Address
City, State, ZIP
Home: (Home Phone Number)
Cell: (Personal Cell Phone Number)

The Back Side of the Dog Tag

Sometimes information needs to stand out or be separated from the basic block. This is the ideal time to consider having the back side of the tag engraved.

A number of services exist that provide your dog with an identification number. By calling a toll-free telephone number and providing the identification number, the finder can help your dog reach home safely. Placing this information on the second side of the tag draws notice to the service, provides more information in case the front of the tag gets damaged, and separates the service information from your personal information.

1-800-( ID SERVICE PHONE #)
ID # ABCDEF

Many households will have many telephone numbers: the home phone number (or "land line"), several cell phone numbers, and possibly even Voice Over IP / internet phone numbers. Long lists of telephone numbers can carry over to the back side of the pet tag.

Front:
Dog's Name
123 Street Address
City, State, ZIP
Home: (Home Phone Number)
Cell: (Personal Cell Phone Number)

Back:
555-ALT-CELL#1
555-ALT-CELL#2

Dogs with special needs can also have them listed on this side of the pet tag.

I AM DEAF

I AM BLIND

DIABETIC
PLEASE DO NOT FEED.

Not every dog tag can have text engraved on the second side. Tags which fix directly to the dog's collar by looping around it or being riveted on can only have a front-side engraving. Other dog tags with decorative patterns usually have a "blank" white side onto which all of your information must be placed.

Common Information

Finally, there is information which can fit on either side of the tag depending on the size of the pet tag and your budget. If - and only if - you are willing to pay a reward for the return of your dog then you should place the word "REWARD" where it will be visible.

Dogs with microchip implants will also benefit from the word "MICROCHIP" engraved on either the tag's second side or the bottom of the first side.

Digital Age Contact

E-mail addresses and web addresses are fast becoming popular additions to the standard dog tag. We still suggest that this information only be added in addition to standard contact information, as a telephone number is still more accessible than an email address.

Please note, too, that our store can not yet properly engrave the symbol @. Although we hope to at some point in the future, this is also a sign that the world has not yet gone fully online.

Your Privacy

If privacy is important to you then there are steps that can be taken. These require a small amount of planning before you purchase your tag, but can create a worthwhile buffer between your contact information and the rest of the world.

Lost pet services, such as those mentioned above, provide an identification number and a toll-free telephone number instead of your private information. Microchip implants also provide this level of service.

Alternately, feature-rich pre-paid cellular phones can now be found in many grocery stores. Basic models cost as little to purchase as a new DVD release, sometimes even less. We suggest making sure that the service includes a voicemail feature and included "starter" minutes, which nearly all of them do as part of their basic package. Your new cell phone will direct people away from your personal phone lines, and can be canceled by simply running it out of minutes.

Many large internet services offer free email addresses which you can access through your web browser. Although it may be inconvenient to memorize another username and password, this address can exist solely for your dog's recovery, without worry of the wrong eyes seeing it.

Finally, you can omit any information you do not wish to have appear on your pet tag.

Dog's Name
Phone Number

Dog's Name
Microchipped
Identification #
Toll Free #

Dog's Name
Prepaid Cell #
I AM DEAF

The Best Information For Your Dog's New Tag

The best information to include on your dog's tag is the information that reunites you quickly and safely. We suggest that most dog owners begin with the basic block as shown above and modify it to your needs.

However, we will happily help and encourage everyone to modify the format, make it their own, and focus on the information most likely to give your dog a happy homecoming.

Dataweb, Inc
Orders: 1-512-282-3003 (Mon-Fri 8:30 - 5:00 pm)
FAX..(512) 292-7957
11600 Manchaca Rd. Suite 101, Austin, Texas 78748
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