The technology revolution in the pet tag industry has made it easier than ever to keep everyone's pet's safe, happy and home for life! It’s high time to get your pet new identification tags and leave the old “pet-name-and-one-phone-number” etched tag in the past and check out the wave of the future, QR coded tags.

Today’s digital pet ID tags are not your grand-daddy’s dog tags. Pet identification tags have come a LONG way in just the last few years, folks, and if you’re still putting a $7 dollar circle of etched, one-name-and-number, aluminum on your dog or cat’s collar, your pets are missing out on powerful protection.  

Digital ID tags and collars, like from PetHub.com, are not just some futuristic idea or some highfalutin thing that no one will know how to use, they are available here and now…and are proving to get lost pets home faster than ever.

So, what’s a “digital” pet ID tag, you may ask? These are tags that use technologies like QR codes, NFC chips, and/or web address with unique codes printed on or embedded into the ID tag that link to a comprehensive, online profile. And, in the case of PetHub tags and collars, a 24/7 Call Center phone number is also printed on every tag (so that even your grand-daddy who doesn’t know what that “squiggly black-and-white” QR code thingee  is, can help your pup get back home).

Now, we understand that some people are still a little skeptical about the need for a digital pet ID (or physical identification tags at all!!) If you’re one of those people who are not convinced your pet NEEDS a physical ID tag on at all times, click on over to read our article Don’t Let Your Pet Run Around Naked! and you will be.

“Why do I need some fancy-schmancy tag when the old simple aluminum one with my cell phone number works just fine?”

Fair enough question…and we’ve got 6 questions in response to that:

1. Are you always, 100% of the time, with the phone that is on that tag and have the ringer on?
2. Do you answer that phone 100% of the time, even if you don’t recognize the number calling you?
3. Do you ever go on vacation and the cell number on that tag won’t work because your cell phone doesn’t work in that country without you paying a gazillion dollars for international roaming charges?
4. Are you ever at work, in a meeting, at the theater, in an impromptu beach volleyball game or on a rollercoaster at Disney World where you can’t answer the phone? (personal experience about cellphones on rollercoasters…DON’T EVER put them in your pocket :/)
5. Does your cell phone battery ever die on you?
6. Have you ever been on an airplane?

You see, even if your cellphone number is on that tag, there are MANY reasons you might not be there to answer it when someone who’s found your wayward cat is trying to call you.

The #1 Reason a digital pet identification tag is the way to go

… plus we’ll throw in 4 more just for grins:

1. Multiple emergency contacts --Your cell, your work extension, your partner/spouse/roommate, your neighbor(s), your mom/dad, your pet sitter, your dog walker, your vet, and even your in-laws – as many phone numbers and emails as you wish can be on the online profile that is linked to your pet’s digital ID.
2. Update anytime, anywhere -- Let’s say you go on vacation and leave Fergus and Muffin with a pet sitter.  No need to get a new ID tag – just log into your account and make the pet sitter’s contact information primary. Moving? Getting a number phone number? No need to change the tag…a few quick keyboard strokes and mouse clicks and your pet’s ID is updated and ready to go!
3. Critical medical data – If your pet has diabetes, epilepsy, allergies, vital medication or any major medical issue – this can be listed on the online profile linked to the ID tag. This could be the difference between life and death if your pet is in a crisis situation away from you.
4. All information is one place and ready to go – The moments right after you realize your cat squeezed through the broken window screen or discover that the back gate is off the latch and the pooch is AWOL (Absent Without a Leash) are panic-filled and harried.  Thinking through all the things you need to do (lost pet poster, calling shelters, etc.) is difficult at best. The benefit of having all of your pet’s critical data (including photographs) already in one place, like on a PetHub.com profile, is immense in this situation…it’s all there and ready to use with instant lost pet posters, a shelter alert system and more.
5. Powerful protection linked to one single tag – PetHub’s system is not just a tag attached to a collar. It is a hub of available protective services:
   • Free online profile that holds all your pet’s identification data – you can link rabies ID, municipal license number and even a microchip number can be listed on the profile
   • Free 24/7 Found Pet Hotline – a call center where real-live, super compassionate and helpful human beings are available around the clock to answer the toll-free number printed on the PetHub tag and help your pet get home
   • Community Alert System – over 13K shelters and rescues, as well as veterinarians, pet sitters and other pet care professionals can be sent a virtual lost pet poster when your pet is missing (not all at the same time, mind you – just those in a 50 mile radius of where your pet is lost)
   • Instant notifications with GPS mapping – when your pet is found, you know when and where they are and can get to them quicker than ever

It’s really a no-brainer when you look at all the benefits of moving up to a digital ID for your four-legged best friend.

Want proof that PetHub tags get pets home faster than ever? Okay – 96% PetHub recovered pets are home in less than 24 hours. How many stories do you hear about a dog or cat making it home YEARS after being lost? In fact, over 35% of PetHub recovered pets are home in 1 – 4 hours – many times before the pet owner even knew they were on the run!  

Oh, and if you are curious about cost (‘cuz that pet-store engraved tag was just seven or eight buck…a deal!) – you can get a PetHub digital ID with our free toll-free call center number for as little as $14, and our optional premium services are just a few dollars a month.  How could you not switch to digital when it is so affordable?

Have questions or feedback for us? Visit https://www.pethub.com/ContactUs

 

Originally Posted: April 2016

Updated: May 2023