Dog ID tags haven’t changed much over the years – they have your name and phone number on them and that’s about it but there’s finally something new that had me changing out my dog’s old tags. It’s called the WaggTagg.
If you know me, you know one of my biggest fears is that my flight-risk dog, Archie gets lost and I can’t find him again. It’s every dog parent’s worst nightmare. The last time he got loose, he slipped his harness and took off through the neighborhood. As I chased him, I saw his life flash before my eyes. He was so much faster than me. What if I couldn’t catch him? What if he never came home? What if he found a new family and they weren’t sure how to get in contact with me? Were his tags clear enough? What if this was the last time I would ever see him?
My mind completely ran away with all the “what if’s” as I struggled to keep him in sight. Luckily, he ran up to a nice neighbor who grabbed his collar and held onto him until I could catch up. The whole event happened over a course of probably 10 minutes but it felt like an eternity. I’m so grateful everything turned out fine, but this incident was enough for me to reevaluate what I could do better in case it happened again.
I got him microchipped, but I’m well-aware that not everyone thinks to take a dog to be checked for a microchip. I wanted to make sure his tags were clear so anyone who found him could reach me quickly anytime – day or night.
That’s when I heard about the WaggTagg. The people at Bark Busters sent me a couple to try out for my dogs and I have to say I’m impressed.
- I like that they have a 24/7, 365 days a year service to ensure you can always get connected with anyone who finds your dog. Personally, if my dog were lost, I would rather be contacted the moment someone finds them so this is a really great perk for me.
- The tag, itself is brightly colored so there’s no way the finder could overlook it.
- You can choose what info you want to keep private and what you are willing to share. When someone finds your dog, they can scan the QR code from any smart phone or type in the url (unique to your dog). Once they do that, you are contacted by text or email (your choice) you so you know where your dog is without needing to share your phone number or email with the general public (let’s face it – there are some weirdos out there so this is a nice perk).
- Each tag is unique to the dog so you can manage multiple dogs in a household.
- You can update the tag with your latest contact information if anything changes.
- There are no recurring charges. A lot of QR code tags charge you monthly or annual fees but this is just the flat rate when you purchase it.
I like the WaggTagg for extra piece of mind. My dogs always wear their collars with their rabies and city license tags, but the WaggTagg provides another way for anyone to get in touch with me directly (and safely) if they find my dog.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to consider the “what if’s” before your dog gets lost. I have been very fortunate with Archie, but my experience has taught me it’s always best to plan ahead for the worst case scenario. Make sure your dog is tagged.
If you want to learn more about the WaggTagg, you can see it here. Each purchase made through A Dog’s Love also provides 3 days of food for shelter dogs so you can do a little good while protecting your fur kid.
Have any questions about how it works? Comment below and I’ll share my experience!