We love puppy get togethers. Play dates with close friends and families will sometimes include pets, especially dogs. Doggie play dates. Everyone’s chatting, playing and usually eating. The kids are spending time together, adults can have more “adult” conversations and the dogs are entertaining and socializing with everyone. It’s a pleasant scene. Dog play dates are becoming the norm and this is a perfect occasion to bring up pet identification.

Do you know that one dog that never has a tag on its collar or even anything at all?

I’ve always noticed this while visiting at that dog’s home. Even with myself being an outspoken person about the importance of pet identification, I still experience close friends or a loved family member who will go for periods of time without a tag on their pet.

It’s fine to ask the question, “Where’s Fido’s tag?”

Most of the time, the dog has just gotten a bath. But, then there are dogs that are either so loyal or trained and listen so well, that the owner feels there’s no need for a collar and tag, their dog would never run away.

People need to take collars off at bath time or when the collars actually need washing, but most people put them back on when dry. This is understandable. But, the excuse of the dog being well-trained doesn’t mean it might not get lost someday, (1 in 3 pets will get lost during their lifetime.) Of those’s pets, only 2 percent of cats and 15 to 30 percent of dogs are reunited with their owners.

There are so many reasons accidents happen. Some things are beyond your control.  You do have control of giving your pet better odds of getting home if they go astray.  If your pet has proper identification on its odds of returning home go dramatically up.

If you can microchip that’s ideal. However, keeping a collar and tag on your pet lets other people SEE and know that your pet belongs to someone and is loved.  There are almost up to 50% of  households in U.S. have pets. You have a 50 % chance that a person that sees your scared and lost pet is a caring pet owner themselves and may stop and help the animal out. Especially if they SEE that the pet has a tag with an immediate way to reach you. There are caring people out there. They might know how to catch a stray or call the local animal rescue. Having a tag on will help get that pet reunited with his or her family quicker.

We’ve all seen that poster of a beloved lost pooch with a collar, but no tag.

I’ve recused a few pets that did not have tags on and ultimately became responsible for that animal. That’s a big commitment. If you have connections you can get that pet into a rescue, if they are not full. You can hope it’s microchip, by way of taking it to a vet. People who don’t know or have the resources will turn strays into a local county animal shelter, or at least call.  There has also been times I’ve rescued dogs that DO have tags. I can SEE the tags jingling from far away. Those rescues tend to end on a happy note.

Here are some reasons I’ve heard for not identifying your pet:

I don’t like the sound of the tags jingling.

There’s a solution, buy tags that have a rubber or plastic case for tags or ones that are part of the collars or collars with information embroidered directly on the collar.

My dog is getting to old.

This one might be true if the dog has very limited mobility due to health or physical limitations. However, if it can wander into the front yard, it could become disoriented or lost.

My dog is well-trained.

That’s wonderful! A well-trained dog is a happy dog. However accidents happen, gates are blown open and doors don’t shut all the way. Dogs spook and run at scary noises, like on the 4th of July. July 5th is the busiest season for animal control and shelters.

Microchipping is ideal and also back up insurance in case your pet looses their collar and tag while lost.  But, make sure your pet still wears a collar and ID.  Some microchip services offer a tag that lets people know…”Hey, I’m microchipped!“

Home Again is one of these microchipping services that comes with a tag.  There’s a reason for that tag.

Since these occasions sometimes involve children, please remember dogs view kids as pack members, always watch your children around animals. It’s up to adults to learn the body languages of pet behavior and then teach that knowledge to their children. Just Google, “understanding dog behavior body language” and there is a plethora of videos and articles to share. Safety is number one priority, make sure all dogs (pets) know each other, have on pet identification, fully vetted and have been property introduced well before putting them into this mentally and physically stimulating situation. Know how your dog reacts and handles different kinds of situation and if they are a good fit for socializing.  Just like people, some just don’t like each other or get along.

Please talk to your loved ones and bring up the importance of identifying Fido.  Hopefully, at the next puppy get together Fido is sporting a new tag.  If not, they make great presents and cost under $20 bucks for both tag and collar.