Recommended Details To Put On A Pet Tag

Here at Pet ID Tags Express we engrave all kinds of messages for our customers.

We will engrave whatever you request. However, we do have recommendations.

Address Details

The UK Control of Dogs Order 1992 makes it an offence for a dog to be in a public place without the owner’s name and address scribed onto either the collar or a tag attached to the collar. The fine for breaching this law could be up to £5000.

The minimum required to meet this is the owners last name, the house name or number and the postcode. e.g. Smith, 11, SN10 1XA. 

Some addresses can be really long, but in the U.K the House number or name plus the postcode are all that are required to identify any address.

Contact Details

The primary purpose of an engraved tag for your pet is to allow anyone who finds your pet should they stray or be separated from you to be able to easily contact you so that you can be reunited as quickly as possible.

Most dog wardens, the Kennel Club & ourselves all advise that a contact telephone number is also added to the tag or collar alongside the name and address.

Pet Name

The Kennel Club recommends not including dog names on tags in case of theft. 

Many of our customers choose to have their dog’s name on the tag – this is a personal choice that needs to be considered from your personal circumstances and perspective.

Microchipped Alert

It is a popular choice by many of our customers and can be a useful way of alerting anyone who may find your pet to their chip, which can in turn identify the owner when it is scanned. 

However, it is not a legal requirement to put it on their tag. Stray dogs collected by local authorities and those found and taken to vets are normally scanned to read microchips as a routine.

It’s the law in the U.K that all dogs over 8 weeks old are microchipped and registered.

Therefore, you are advised to ensure that the registration details connected with your pet’s chip are up-to-date particularly if you’ve moved or they’ve changed.

Medi-Alert, Pet allergies and Medical Conditions

If your pet has any medical conditions, has an illness, pet allergies, takes medication or requires any special care then it's strongly recommended that you put this information on their pet tag. It's important that should your pet stray or be lost that anyone who finds them is aware of any special care or attention that they may need before they can be safely returned to you. You may need an additional tag or a two-sided tag to allow enough space to also put your contact details

We have a range of specially designed pet tags to alert people to medical conditions. They are called Medi-Alert Tags and they have the internationally recognised symbol of medicine, the caduceus symbol marked clearly as part of the tag design. This symbol is instantly recognisable because it has two snakes and wings on it.

A Medi-Alert pet tag is a simple way to alert anyone who may come into contact with your dog or cat that there is important information about their care that they should be aware of.

We always advise our customers that have dogs or cats with complex conditions to have two tags, one for identification and the other to detail the specific medical condition and simple instructions that would help in an emergency situation. Where possible the medi-alert pet tag should be on the top for easy identification.

Do Not feed

If your pet has allergies to specific foods or if you are managing their weight you may want to put "do not feed" on their pet tag.

This is a popular tag inscription for cat owners. Cats being social creatures, if they are roaming and friendly they can often be fed by others. People like to spoil pets both cats and dogs and you may prefer that certain treats are not given to them.

QR Code

Whilst at first glance this seems like a good idea, it isn't.

Firstly, these do not meet the previously mentioned legal requirement for dogs. The law requires the name and address to be visible on the collar or badge. A QR tag is a link to external information—it does not display those essentials.

Secondly, they’re impractical in real life as they need a smartphone & internet signal. In reality the process of opening the phone, finding the app, scanning the code, loading a page & copying the information can cause too much friction.