A dog tag, cat tag, pet ID tag, or pet tag is a small flat tag worn on pets' collars or

harnesses A harness is a looped restraint or support. Specifically, it may refer to one of the following harness types: * Bondage harness * Child harness * Climbing harness * Dog harness * Pet harness * Five-point harness * Horse harness * Parrot harne ...

. Humane societies and rescue organizations recommend that

dogs The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

and

cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

wear these tags, which present that the wearer is not a stray, and contain information to enable someone encountering a lost pet to contact the owner. In the UK, dog owners are required by law to ensure that their dog is wearing an ID tag, even if the dog has already been microchipped (also required by UK law). Tags may make noise as animals move. A collar-mount tag, either slide-on or riveted-on flat to a collar's surface, is silent. A tag silencer encloses loose tags in a small neoprene pouch or a soft rubbery plastic ring around the edge of a tag and may reduce noise. The resemblance of human identification tags to this method of display led to military identification tags being called

dog tags Dog tag is an informal but common term for a specific type of identification tag worn by military personnel. The tags' primary use is for the identification of casualties; they have information about the individual written on them, including i ...

Identifying information

Identifying information on pet tags may include: * On a license tag, the

dog license A dog licence is required in some jurisdictions to be the keeper of a dog. Usually a dog-licence identifying number is issued to the owner, along with a dog tag bearing the identifier and a contact number for the registering organization. If a s ...

number and contact information for the licensing organization *On a pet ID tag, the pet's

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A personal ...

, owner's phone number(s), address, or a

QR code A QR code (an initialism for quick response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that can contain information about th ...

pointing to the pet's online profile, a reward offer, and a list of the animal's critical medical problems *On a

microchip An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...

registry tag, an identifying number for the dog with a phone number for the registry. Some organizations recommend not putting a pet's name on an ID tag because, in an ownership dispute over a found dog, the original owner could use the pet's name to demonstrate that the pet recognizes the name and therefore has an association with that owner. Others believe that a lost pet might feel more comfortable and therefore be more likely to approach if strangers call it by its own name, so the name should be on the tag.

Materials

Tags are made of a variety of materials. Metal tags usually have their information

emboss EMBOSS is a free open source software analysis package developed for the needs of the molecular biology and bioinformatics user community. The software automatically copes with data in a variety of formats and even allows transparent retrieval of ...

ed or engraved onto, or stamped into, their surface. The characters created by embossing or engraving are made by removing some of the tag's surface and are not typically as deep as stamped characters, which are made by stamping the tag with a metal die. Stamped tags are therefore often more durable than engraved tags, though some drag-engraving and

laser engraving Laser engraving is the practice of using lasers to engrave an object. Laser marking, on the other hand, is a broader category of methods to leave marks on an object, which in some cases, also includes color change due to chemical/molecular alte ...

methods can be as deep, or deeper, than the stamped versions. Plastic chips can be etched or printed, come in many colors, and may be highly reflective to enhance visibility at night. Some plastics are sensitive to ultraviolet light and the color and even composition can fade over time.

Photodegradation Photodegradation is the alteration of materials by light. Commonly, the term is used loosely to refer to the combined action of sunlight and air, which cause oxidation and hydrolysis. Often photodegradation is intentionally avoided, since it destroy ...

Quote: "Photodegradation of plastics and..." ABS plastics are among the most durable for use as pet ID tags. Some tags use

dye-sublimation Dye-Sublimation Printing (or dye-sub printing) is a digital computer printing technique that uses heat to transfer dye onto materials such as plastic, card, paper, or fabric. The sublimation name was first applied because the dye was considere ...

to print images and artwork to aluminum tags. The image is permanent and resists fading and wear.

3D printing 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the Manufacturing, construction of a three-dimensional object from a computer-aided design, CAD model or a digital 3D modeling, 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is ...

is also used to create tags from a variety of materials. Common metals used for pet tags are aluminum, stainless steel, and brass. Aluminum is by far (2.5 times lighter than stainless steel) the least durable of the three. Brass is a soft metal, and not as durable as any variety of stainless steel. It may also tarnish and turn a greenish color. Harder metals are more likely to retain their lettering after wear and tear.

References

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External links

American Humane Society's annual Tag DayNew York Times Blog - Importance of Pet Tags
Dog equipment Identification of domesticated animals

Identifying information

Materials

See also

References

External links